Dear Editor:
Many years ago, I read an article about a whale washed ashore in the Philippines with 66 pounds of plastic in its stomach. Because of this, I banned myself from using single-use plastic bags which I do at all stores and when getting takeout food, etc.
Earlier this year, I read an article about another dead whale, weighing 1,100 pounds and whose stomach contained 88 pounds of plastic, which is equivalent to a 150-pound person having 12 pounds of plastic in their stomach. Many who study this feel that by 2050 there’ll be more plastic in the oceans than marine life. As two-thirds of the world’s oxygen comes from oceans, this doesn’t bode well for any living thing.
The City of Vancouver has banned single-use plastic bags. There’s no ban in North Van. In January, I inquired at Superstore about why they’re still using plastic bags. I was told they were getting rid of the remaining supply. In May, it became obvious this wasn’t the case. It took me over two months and three inquiries to get a written response that noted they donate part of the profits from plastic bag sales to environmental causes. The absurdity of this can’t be overstated. Wouldn’t not using plastic bags make more sense?
More than 90 per cent of the plastic ever produced still exists, yet we continue to produce it at an alarming rate.
Stephen Hawking said, “Greed and stupidity will lead to the end of the human race within 100, maybe 200 years.” He died four years ago. The clock is ticking.
Kevin Sander
North Vancouver
Editor's note: The federal government has banned the production and import of plastic bags and some other single-use plastics by the end of this year, and their sale by the end of 2023.
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