The Australian Government is aiming to reduce Australia's single-use plastic waste (not recyclable) to 20% below 2010 plastic waste levels by 2050. Reforms A B C D Plastic waste change (compared to 2010 levels) by 2050. 30% increase No change 20% reduction 40% reduction Total cost for industries to introduce reform measures (billions of dollars) 0 0.3 1.2 1.5 One possible solution to reduce plastic waste would be to make the marginal private cost of plastic waste more closely reflect the marginal social cost. This would be achieved by the Government . Type T for increasing company Tax, P for increasing Personal tax, C for introducing a tax on plastic waste or B for Building more recycling stations. Imagine the Government decided to implement a system using market based instruments to price plastic pollution. Firms would have to buy the right to produce plastic waste that exceeded levels in 2010. What is the minimum total cost of introducing the instruments to reduce plastic waste to achieve the goal (in billions of dollars to one decimal place)? $ billion. If the Government decided to force firms to shut down if they exceeded their plastic pollution limits, would this be efficient? . Type Y for Yes or N for No.

Which of the following impacts of plastic waste have direct economic consequences?Group of answer choicesAccumulation on beachesEntanglementBoth B and CClogging of intake ports

Most marine debris is composed of plastic whose industrial production and commercial use are projected to increase exponentially over coming decades.Which of the following initiatives would have the greatest impact on reducing plastic waste in the marine environment?AImplementing responsible disposal policies for existing types of plastic in order to prevent end-of-life materials from entering the marine environmentBPreventing the production and consumption of environmentally persistent types of plastic such as PET via purposeful legislation and regulationCIncreasing awareness and promoting population behavioral change, as well as giving consumers incentives to recycle persistent materialsDImplementing all of the above strategiesEI'm not sure

Which passage from the article best supports the belief that methods for eliminating the plastic waste already in landfills must be developed?A.Other businesses are also producing plastic substitutes we can all stomach.B.Petroleum-based plastic doesn't decompose, so this rubbish is a problem that's not going to melt away on its own.C.Polishing off your flatware might be fun, but these edible spoons aren't just a cool novelty.D.In contrast to the fossil fuels used to make most plastic, seaweed is a renewable resource.

Suppose the Queensland government is considering implementing a ban on microplastics incosmetic and hygiene products. What are the tangible and intangible costs and benefitsassociated with this policy?

Planet vs. Plastics unites students, parents, businesses, governments, churches, unions, individuals, and NGOs in an unwavering commitment to call for the end of plastics for the sake of human and planetary health, demanding a 60% reduction in the production of plastics by 2040 and an ultimate goal of building a plastic-free future for generations to come. To achieve a 60% reduction by 2040, EARTHDAY.ORG’s goals are: (1) promoting widespread public awareness of the damage done by plastic to human, animal, and all biodiversity’s health and demanding more research be conducted on its health implications, including the release of any and all information regarding its effects to the public; (2) rapidly phasing out all single use plastics by 2030 and achieving this phase out commitment in the United Nations Treaty on Plastic Pollution in 2024; (3) demanding policies ending the scourge of fast fashion and the vast amount of plastic it produces and uses; and (4) investing in innovative technologies and materials to build a plastic-free world.“The Planet vs. Plastics campaign is a call to arms, a demand that we act now to end the scourge of plastics and safeguard the health of every living being upon our planet.”  KATHLEEN ROGERSPresident“The word environment means what surrounds you. In the case of plastics we have become the product itself – it flows through our blood stream, adheres to our internal organs, and carries with it heavy metals known to cause cancer and disease. Now this once-thought amazing and useful product has become something else, and our health and that of all other living creatures hangs in the balance,” said Kathleen Rogers, President of EARTHDAY.ORG. “The Planet vs. Plastics campaign is a call to arms, a demand that we act now to end the scourge of plastics and safeguard the health of every living being upon our planet.”   Plastics extend beyond an imminent environmental issue; they present a grave threat to human health as alarming as climate change. As plastics break down into microplastics, they release toxic chemicals into our food and water sources and circulate through the air we breathe. Plastic production now has grown to more than 380 million tons per year. More plastic has been produced in the last ten years than in the entire 20th century, and the industry plans to grow explosively for the indefinite future.“All this plastic was produced by a petrochemical industry with an abysmal record of toxic emissions, spills, and explosions,” said Denis Hayes, Chair Emeritus of EARTHDAY.ORG. “Plastics are produced in polluting facilities that somehow seem to always be located in the poorest neighborhoods. Some plastics are lethal when combusted; other plastics transmit hormone-disrupting chemicals; and all plastics can starve birds and suffocate sea life. At every stage of their life cycles, from the oil well to the town dump, plastics are a dangerous blight.”More than 500 billion plastic bags—one million bags per minute—were produced worldwide last year. Many plastic bags have a working life of a few minutes, followed by an afterlife of centuries. Even after plastics disintegrate, they remain as microplastics, minute particles permeating every niche of life on the planet. 100 billion plastic beverage containers were sold last year in the United States. That’s more than 300 bottles per inhabitant. A few of them will be converted into park benches; none of them will be made into new plastic bottles and 95% of all plastics in the US won’t be recycled at all. Even the 5% of plastics being recycled are “downcycling” to inferior products or shipped to poorer countries for “recycling”, leaving the demand for virgin plastic undiminished.  People seldom think of water when they think of plastics. But making a plastic water bottle requires six times as much water as the bottle itself contains.EARTHDAY.ORG demands the International Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC) mandate the end of production of single-use plastic by 2030 in the Global Plastics Treaty. Moreover, it demands the treaty be implemented using the precautionary principle and the polluter pays doctrine. “All this plastic was produced by a petrochemical industry with an abysmal record of toxic emissions, spills, and explosions.”DENIS HAYESChair EmeritusThe fast fashion industry annually produces over 100 billion garments. Overproduction and overconsumption have transformed the industry, leading to the disposability of fashion. People now buy 60% more clothing than 15 years ago, but each item is kept for only half as long. Approximately 85% of garments end up in landfills or incinerators, with only 1% being recycled. Nearly 70% of clothing is made from crude oil, resulting in the release of dangerous microfibers when washed and continued contribution to long-term pollution in landfills. Social injustice and fashion are directly intertwined, with exploitative working conditions, low wages, and widespread child labor. For far too long, the industry has relied on a fractured supply chain and an almost total lack of governmental regulation.