Municipality of Dysart et al Plastic Reduction Challenge

Municipality of Dysart et al Plastic Reduction Challenge

Fleming College Sustainability Waste Management Program

Municipality of Dysart et al., Tamara Wilbee

FL_4829

2019

Online

Banning of single use PET water bottles has become a growing trend across Canada (Jerema, 2010). There are several reasons as to why this trend has continued to grow, with the bulk of them surrounding the environmental impacts of the PET bottle. The utilization of single-use plastic water bottles is not a sustainable option as it can lead to water shortages since the manufacturing process for a single 1L bottle of water consumes 3-5L of water (The Council of Canadians, 2014). Furthermore, the manufacturing and transportation of single-use PET water bottles is significantly contributing to climate change as they require a massive amount of fossil fuel to produce the plastic and generate significant greenhouse gas emissions to transport (The Council of Canadians, 2014). Another issue associated with single-use plastic bottles and why banning their sales is becoming more significant is that a large number are ending up in landfills, which is resulting in a loss of landfill spaces as well as the loss of the resources that have gone into the production process (The Council of Canadians, 2014). Through the implementation of a ban of single-use water bottle sales in municipal spaces, the municipality can improve their ecological footprint and ultimately become one of the Blue Communities in Canada (The Council of Canadians, 2014) should they desire to take this step.

The objective of this report is to provide information to support the Municipality of Dysart et al’s desire to ban the sale of plastic-bottled water in its municipal buildings and public spaces along with the provision of suitable alternatives and appropriate communication, education and engagement to ensure the public is aware of and adopts the use of these alternatives.