Hello all. . .
Last spring my organization co-hosted a community meeting on the possibility of reducing the use of single-use plastic bags. The example of Ireland's levy came up, at which point a representative from the Alberta Plastics Recycling Council stated that the levy had, in fact, led to an increase in plastic in Ireland's landfills. He said research had shown that many people in Ireland -- like many of us in North America -- used the plastic bags as kitchen garbage can liners, and when the stores started charging for the very lightweight supermarket bags, people simply started buying branded garbage bags, which were heavier weight plastic. The result, he claimed, was in increase by weight of plastic in Irish landfills. In trying to verify the research, I wrote to the Irish government ministry in charge of the levy and received a very nice reply saying no one there had ever heard of it. I then emailed the Irish equivalent of the environmental protection agency, but I haven't, as yet, heard back from them. At other such sessions in other communities, representatives from the Plastics Recycling Council cite the research findings, but when asked specifically about the source, they say, "Oh, it's on the web." I have not been able to find it on the web, and am wondering if any of the folks on this list have heard of the research and can point me to it!
Thanks for your help,
Bart Robinson
Bart Robinson
Program Director
Bow Valley Sustainability Hub
Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley
Suite 201, 600 9th St.,
Canmore, AB T1W 2T2
Phone: 403-678-3445 ext. 1
Ireland's Plastic Bag Levy - Increased Plastic in Landfills?
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Bart
If you will give me the contact information to the Alberta Plastics Recycling Council I will be willing to ask for the verification of their statements and exactly where on the web it is located. Maybe if everyone on this site would do the same thing it would modify some behavior of statements made. Wouldn't that be interesting, truth in advertising?
Ken
Green Collar Events
817-975-5546
Here are two places where you will find this kind of information, one in the US and another in the UK. Always consider the source (and perhaps notice the similarities in the text). There are references in the first one, but they are to PIFA, the Packaging and Industrial Films Association, so again, watch out for sources:
http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/blank.asp?CID=1106&DID=8387
http://www.brc.org.uk/details04.asp?id=1109&kCat=&kData=263&sCat=Retail+ Myths
As well, this is interesting. It does not address the issue of substitution of thicker plastic bags, but it would appear to be from a source without as much self-interest: http://www.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/litter.htm
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Ken Donnelly
Ken Donnelly
Vice President,
Eastern Canada LURA Consulting
lura.ca [email protected]
Have you considered asking "So what?" or "Who cares?" and saying that you are probably willing to stipulate that sales of heavy duty garbage-pail-liner-bags probably has increased dramatically when fees are enacted? In our community, plastic bags full of garbage going to the landfill don't seem to be a particular concern; and we understand that plastic bags in a landfill probably last forever. Locally our expressed concerns (in no particular order) are that singe-use plastic "T-shirt" bags are not being recycled, those bags often show up as unsightly litter in the community requiring the expense of clean-up and disposal, and some of those bags wind up in streams, the bay or ocean where they contribute to pollution and harm to wildlife (and litter in the aquatic environment is the very most expensive to clean-up). Our expectation is that fees will be used to fund promotion of reusable bags and to offset a portion of the municipal costs of litter clean-up and disposal.
trish mulvey
Hi Bart,
Isn't it a shame that the burden of proof seems to fall on you in this case? It seems to me that a body as august as the Alberta Plastics Recycling Council should be able to give pinpoint verifiable references for their claims when participating in such public discussions. They're the 'experts', after all. I suggest you spend as much energy badgering the representatives as you do the Irish government. Don't let them get away with making unverifiable claims in these community sessions!
Ian.