Course:VANT149/2022/Capstone/Arts/GroupP3

Improving the world‘s plastic pollution - British Columbia's policy in action

Xueming Xu（Mae）

Xueming Xu	Mae	66712183

Jiayi Xu（Sylvia）

Jiayi Xu	Sylvia	63155337

Meiqi Chang	Icey	42462770

Meiqi Chang（Icey）

Xiaoying Xiong	Alyson	66974072

Xiaoying Xiong （Alyson）

Group P-3

Nowadays, plastic pollution has become a problem that cannot be ignored in the world. Our proposal revolves around this background. More and more countries and regions around the world have implemented policies to limit the production and use of plastics. For example, some regions directly banned the use of plastic bags; some countries restricted the import of plastic and increased the consumption tax on plastic. As we investigated and researched, we found that few scholars had studied how the plastic ban in BC, our province, affected the lives of local residents. Therefore, our research question derives from the research gap: what is the relationship between the extent of B.C. citizens' support for BC’s plastic ban policy and the benefits they believe it will bring to their lives over five years? Next, we investigated participants and collected data through quantitative questions in the form of questionnaires. Correlation charts and two bar charts will be used to show the correlation and non-central variables of the survey results.

After reading various studies, we found that many countries around the world have enacted policies to mitigate plastic pollution. Then we realize that no one has examined the relationship between the acceptance and impact on the lives of residents of policies introduced by the British Columbia government to reduce plastic pollution. We will conduct further research on B.C.'s plastic pollution policies and their positive effects on British Columbians. On January 1, 2022, B.C.'s latest environmental policy, a new ban on plastic shopping bags, and a new fee to reduce litter came into effect (McLaughlin, 2021). This policy has been in effect for several months; how much improvement it will have on reducing plastic pollution in British Columbia is something we must continue to monitor and study. To investigate the impact of the B.C. government's policy on people's awareness and behavior on how to reduce plastic pollution, we will continue to follow the B.C. government's policy on reducing plastic pollution. So, to fill this gap, first we find a sustainable environmental protection policy for future urban development, and then we hope that the impact of government policies on the lives of citizens is positive and meaningful.

Some policies directly prohibit the use of plastics at the source to reduce the pollution caused by plastic consumption. More policies targeting plastic reduction have emerged in recent years, and governments are guiding people towards a sustainable path. For example, California passed Proposition 67, a total ban on single-use plastic bags; Ireland introduced the Lowenthal Act to control plastic bags; and the United States signed the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 to reduce pollution from microbeads (Sharma & Chatterjee, 2017). Additionally, some indirect policies are increasing taxes on plastic consumption and plastic pollution to change people's behaviors and awareness. In Portugal, for example, a plastic bag tax was implemented in February 2015. The results indicated a 74% decline in plastic bag usage two years later, but a 61% increase in reusable plastic bags. Furthermore, waste bag use grew by 12% due to customers using previously untaxed carrying bags as rubbish bags (Martinho et al., 2017). Gradually, people will realize that consuming plastic is a costly affair and will change their habits and start using reusable bags instead of the previous plastic bags.

The Green Marine Environment Program, for example, requires shipping companies to pass 12 green indicators. They can prove that their company meets the Green Marine criteria through testing and self-assessment. Also, ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) is the environmental management adopted by most ports with sustainability standards (Ashrafi et al., 2019). As such, companies may mark their items as complying with legally required sustainability initiatives as long as goods have been successfully imported using the green indicators.

While many governments worldwide have enacted many policies to mitigate plastic pollution, no one in B.C. Canada has studied how the policies put in place by governments affect people's awareness and behavior to mitigate plastic pollution. According to BC's 2019 report, more than 340,000 tons of plastic items and packaging are discarded in B.C. This equates to more than 65 kg of plastic waste per person in landfills in one year (B.C. government, 21). B.C. is the most coastal province, and it is very important to reduce the use and pollution of plastic. This set of data reflects that plastic pollution in B.C. is very serious, and the government needs to introduce policies to reduce the use of plastic. On January 1, 2022, B.C.'s latest environmental policy, a new ban on plastic shopping bags, and a new fee to reduce litter came into effect (McLaughlin, 2021).

Through the research and analysis of other countries and regions to limit the impact of plastic on people's lives as well as the collection of our survey results on the ban of plastic in BC Province, we can see that more and more countries and regions around the world are trying to reduce plastic pollution and gradually realize environmental sustainable development. And the root of real environmental sustainability is changing people's minds. People need to be made aware that they need to produce and consume responsibly in order to be truly sustainable in the future.

Ashrafi, M., Acciaro, M., Walker, T. R., Magnan, G. M., & Adams, M. (2019). Corporate Sustainability in Canadian and US maritime ports. Journal of Cleaner Production, 220, 386–397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.02.098
Abalansa, S., Mahrad, B. E., Godwin, K. V., Icely, J., & Newton, A. (2020). The. marine plastic litter issue: A social-economic analysis. Sustainability, 12(20), 8677. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12208677
Martinho, G., Balaia, N., & Pires, A. (2017). The portuguese plastic carrier bag tax:The effects on consumers’ behavior. Waste Management (Elmsford), 61, 3-12.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.01.023
Sharma, S., & Chatterjee, S. (2017). Microplastic pollution, a threat to marine. ecosystem and human health: A short review. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 24(27), 21530-21547. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9910-8