Making a small dent in a big problem

Burger bag, A&W (Obverse) 

Burger bag, A&W (Reverse) 

Let weekend I took my daughter trampolining. On the way we stopped at an A&W location for lunch. I was surprised that the packaging for the burgers and french fries was paper bags. I have grown used to the clamshell packaging, either paper or styrofoam, for fast food. This move by A&W is a great step towards removing plastics from the waste stream.

According to some sources, e.g. the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, by 2050 the total weight of plastic in the world's oceans will exceed the total weight of fish.

That is a rather sad statistic. The graphic below that shows the flow of plastic packaging and explains why so much of the plastic ends up not being recycled.   

Plastic packaging recycling from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
(Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jan/19/more-plastic-than-fish-in-the-sea-by-2050-warns-ellen-macarthur#img-2)