We ask clubs to take actions against plastic pollution and become more climate friendly, and more sustainable.
What actions can your club take to reduce single-use plastics, microplastics, reduce impact for CO2 absorption, biodiversity & human health
- Become a supporter or ambassador club for End Plastic Soup.
- Invite an ambassador of EPS to speak at your club.
- Educate members on the dangers of plastic pollution and what can be done to curb the plastic pollution problem.
- Develop club strategies so your club will have zero waste meetings and events.
- Participate in local community clean up activities.
- Create opportunities in local schools and communities to educate others on how to Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle waste.
- Work with local schools to eliminate plastic waste in their cafeterias.
- Work with local businesses to eliminate plastic waste.
- Support local and international Rotary environmental projects including but not limited to climate restoration, coral reef restoration, Adopt a River, and ESRAG programs.
- Educate members on the direct correlaten between CO2 and plastics.
- Organize an awareness event in your Club and/or District and/or your local Community.
- Make a selection of example action(s) available in the Cookbook of actions.
- Organize a Climate Fresk and/or Plastic Collage serious card game in your club or in your local community.
- Create an action plan for your Club to reduce Microplastics at high schools, sport clubs, local businesses via local and social media.
- Create awareness actions to reduce cigarette butts in the environment.
What actions can individuals take?
- Refuse Single Use plastic (packaging, food, drinks):
Bring Your Own (BYO) bag, bottle, cup, plate, box, utensils. Change your habits by asking yourself these questions “do I need this product?”, “what alternatives can I use?”, “why and why not.?” - Learn to shop responsibly looking for plastic free products for all essential household products. Look for a refill store in your area.
- Use alternative cosmetics (shampoo, soap, lipstick, sunbream) with no microplastics.
- Educate yourself on the impact of toilet paper, paper towels etc. on climate change. Use products such as “Who Gives a Crap” toilet paper.
- Reduction of buying: see the ‘Buyerarchy of Needs‘ below
Use what you have, borrow, swap, thrift (second hand), or make it yourself before buying new. - Cleanup, declutter, collect, sort and dispose, when possible, using proper waste management or improve collection and automatic sorting to enable recycling.
- Host plastic free parties and events.
- Reduce automatic washing of synthetic clothes and avoid/reduce the use of a dryer.
- Reduce car driving and reduce microplastics that are a result of the increased wear of car tires.
- Properly dispose plastic articles that fall apart or wear out causing desintegration into microplastics.
Learn where plastic is hidden and the C02 impact during production and incineration
- PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) is used for bottles, but also small food baskets (tomato, mushrooms, fruits)
- PP (Polypropylene) is used for e.g. buckets, margarine cups, soap bottles, playing balls
- HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) and LDPE (Low-density polyethylene) are used for all kinds of strong and weaker products and sheets and foils (mostly used for packaging).
On average 1 kg of plastic equals 3 kg CO2-equivalents for production and incineration
- 44% of all plastic consumption is packaging, mostly related to food.
- Multiply your waste by an average of 2 for the avoidance of CO2 for production or 3 when including incineration. Currently most plastic waste is still being burned (or exported) as the recycling market is not yet regulated and financially sustainable.
- Examples: 5 plastic shopping bags (60-70 gram each) cause 1 kg CO2-eq.
A thin foil weighs 5 gram, a small plastic food basket/package 10 g and a larger food basket with cap 15 g, a bottle 17 g, and a yoghurt package 30 g.
Note: an empty drink pack weighs 60 g, but only the inside is plastic (with aluminium: Polyal), less than 6 g, a single use drink cup weighs 3 g. - In the Western world we use 1500 plastic packages per year (4 per day per person, mostly related to food). Average per person: 24 kg packaging plastic waste = about 72 kg CO2-eq.
Example questions and motivators for the Club:
- Measure the weight of your plastic waste: at home (when sorting), the waste after your club meal or event.
- For events and dinners, please estimate the number of kilos plastic waste.
Above CO2 calculation figures are based upon the figures in the table below.
![Plastic and CO2](https://endplasticsoup.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Plastic-and-CO2.png)
Reduction of buying
See the ‘Buyerarchy of Needs‘ below: Use what you have, borrow, swap, buy secondhand, make it yourself, buy smart, check labels, buy for the longer term, and ask advice.
![Buyerarchy of needs](https://endplasticsoup.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Buyerarchy-of-needs-300x212.png)
Cleanup
Example question for the Club:
- Do you perform cleanups?
- Can you estimate the number of pounds of plastic waste you collected?
Note: do not include the estimated weight of other waste (metal cans, glass, substance/fluids of packages and bottles not emptied). - Assume most plastic waste collected is mixed plastic, and will be burned. Take an average of 1:1 to calculate the CO2 emission of burning.
Other advantages of reduction of plastic and plastic waste include:
- Social/emotional impact of living in an area free of plastic pollution.
- Create jobs in the environmental space.
- CO2 savings: For every kg recycled plastics, emissions are reduced by up to 3 kg CO2.
- Realize upcycling opportunities in your local community and elsewhere in the world.
- Save natural resources: Every kg of recycled plastics avoids the use of 2 kg oil. Instead, it potentially can replace (hard)wood applications.
- Save nature: By removing foils from nature, you reduce suffocation and entanglement of wildlife and reduce microplastics.
- Local economy: Remain attractive for tourism by reducing litter and being eco-friendly.
Note: Thanks to Rik Voerman, Triple benefit, source: https://triplebenefit.nl/#Benefits
References
- https://www.ciel.org/project-update/plastic-climate-the-hidden-costs-of-a-plastic-planet/
- https://www.co2everything.com/co2e-of/plastic-bag#:~:text=One%20single%2Duse%20plastic%20bag%20is%20equivalent%20to%201.58kg,equivalent%20to%201.58kg%20CO2e
- https://timeforchange.org/plastic-bags-and-plastic-bottles-co2-emissions-during-their-lifetime/
- https://triplebenefit.nl/#Benefits
- https://pba.umich.edu/the-buyerarchy-of-needs-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it/
- www.ce.nl
- https://endplasticsoup.org/facts-and-figures/
- https://endplasticsoup.org/new-research-and-developments-regarding-microplastics/
- https://www.tno.nl/en/sustainable/circular-plastics/microplastics-unknown-risks/reducing-microplastics/
- www.BecomeSustainable.org
- https://esrag.org/every-club-climate-friendly/
- https://youtu.be/Yomf5pBN8dY?si=BFC2UqAydqP4_6dj
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1_zb10euFo
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bottled-water-nanoplastics-up-to-100-times-more-plastic-pnas/
- https://oceanconservancy.org/news/its-not-just-seafood-new-study-finds-microplastics-in-nearly-90-of-proteins-sampled-including-plant-based-meat-alternatives/
- www.mcsisters.org