From 30 years ago: Solutions to the garbage problem
In 1988, new laws were being passed to curb our need for landfills -- but the waste problem endured
There was a time when plastic was a substance that only had upsides, but by 1988 that time was long past. Municipalities were running out of space for their waste, including plastics, and citizens in cities like Windsor and Fredericton were mobilizing against new dumps.
At the same time, as the CBC-TV show Venture reported, cities across North America were taking steps to force companies to deal with the waste they created. And it seemed to be working: one company found a way to reprocess the waste from newsprint production and make it into a manure substitute, saving $2.5 million a year in dumping fees.
"It's an unusual solution," said Norm Pridham of Quebec & Ontario Paper. "But it's one that's worked and I'd encourage people to look at all those wild ideas that come up once in a while."
Other companies faced a potential tax for every non-recyclable container they produced — one of hundreds of looming regulations, taxes and bans. Venture reporter Linda Sims told viewers that environmentalists said these rules would "hit business like a two-by-four."
Biodegradable plastic bags
One company taking steps to address the specific problem of plastic — which takes hundreds of years to decompose — was The Body Shop. At their stores, shoppers received their purchases in a bag developed with Canadian technology that reportedly took a fraction of the time: just a few decades.
Other businesses were curious about the biodegradable bags, according to a manager at the chain, and disposable diaper manufacturers were said to be interested in the technology as well.
"Many companies may not want to shoulder the more of burden of garbage," says Sims, wrapping up. "But they may not have a choice very much longer."
In 2015, 27 years after this news report, CBC reported that Canadians were piling up more household garbage than ever before.