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[man] All right, let's look at some produce.
[Makda] We are going on a special shopping trip.
[man] This is interesting here.
[Makda] Inspecting some of Canada's biggest
retailers and grocers.
This isn't your average price check.
It's a plastic spot check.
Loblaws...
Sobeys...
We have two types of plastic.
[Makda] Walmart...
[man] Let's get one of these.
[Makda] Costco...
[man] Two bags in a bag.
[Makda] Plastic seemingly everywhere.
[man] Certified compostable.
[Makda] And we're going to get to the bottom of this label.
Compostable.
Is it as green as advertised?
Why does it matter?
Because there is a plastic crisis.
In Malaysia, we saw where some of Canada's
recyclables actually end up.
Some of it piled up, discarded, and even burned.
[Makda] Malaysia has been cracking down
on foreign plastic.
The most recent raid in January, where authorities found more
Canadian plastic at another port.
Much of our waste from familiar supermarket brands.
Towering with plastic.
You made it clear.
You want to less, way less.
Change the packaging!
You should encourage people to buy more things
that are not plastic.
[Makda] In light of all of these plastic problems,
is change even possible?
Let's go have some fun now.
[Makda] Ask the Urzua family.
[Makda] They did an experiment and went plastic free
for two weeks.
Wow. They're all wrapped in plastic.
How are we going to get some meat?
Corn flour.
It comes in plastic.
[Makda] And today...
Go put this in the recycling. Go put this in the recycling.
No, not there.
Good job!
[Makda] And they recycle, they compost,
and they shop for less plastic options.
We're more cautious with what we grab from the shelves.
We actually look at the packaging now.
Some snacks come wrapped in plastic inside the box.
When we go grocery shopping, we kind of see,
do we really need this?
A lot of the snacks that we used to like here are like,
okay, maybe we don't eat this this time.
[Charlsie] But it is still tough to avoid.
[woman] Come on.
We really need need eggplants wrapped up in plastic?
Limes, now this is all plastic.
[Makda] The Urzuas are trying to limit
their plastic use.
Are some of Canada's biggest retailers?
[♪♪♪]
[Makda] At Sobeys, we notice no more plastic
bags at checkout.
[man] They are charging for paper bags so they have
no more plastic bags at the checkout.
[Makda] Remember these?
A Walmart, these individually wrapped yellow peppers gave many
of you intense plastic wrap rage!
The few days and the short time of freshness we get,
worth the time that this is going to spend in our landfills?
[Makda] Guess what? They're gone.
[man] Single peppers unwrapped.
[Makda] So are bagged organic bananas.
No more plastic, just a sticker.
[Makda] At Loblaw-owned Superstore,
we notice changes too.
Cucumbers no longer in hard to recycle black plastic trays.
[man] The cucumbers, they used to be black trays here.
[Makda] All wins according to eco-journalist
Adria Vasil.
I'm happy to hear that Walmart has stopped
selling a single pepper in plastic.
[Makda] Same for Loblaws and those new cucumber trays.
This is only a very tiny step forward for the grocer but they
have a lot further to go.
So this is our in-house water.
[Makda] But we still notice lots of plastic
at all the stores.
You complained last time about double wrapped
paper towels at Costco.
Why is there so much plastic inside the plastic bag?
[Makda] We checked again.
Still here.
We also found these mangoes.
Okay, this is a first.
Mangoes in a clamshell.
[Adria] I'm speechless.
Mangoes come in their own packaging.
It is called skin.
[Makda] Last year, Costco said it was
working on solutions.
Such as using more recycled plastic packaging.
This year, no comment.
[man] So we have paper bags.
[Makda] Remember, Sobeys got rid of plastic at the checkout.
But as we discover, it's still everywhere else.
[man] Paper bags up there.
But plastic bags here.
[Makda] Sobeys tells us they have made progress but knows
there's more they can do to remove avoidable plastic from
their stores.
I see coconuts too.
[Makda] And than there's this from Walmart.
This boggles the mind.
A coconut comes with its own packaging.
It is called the shell, right?
[Makda] Walmart tells us while they have made some
changes, more is coming.
At Loblaws...
[man] There is a bag in a bag in a bag.
[Makda] Here we go.
We have got another bag.
And inside that bag...
Another bag!
Oh, my God!
[Makda] And another one in there.
What?
[Makda] What do you think about that?
Oh, stop it.
This is crazy. Oh, God.
Four bags!
I'm just going to sit here moaning and crying because this
is insane for one salad.
[Makda] The makers of this salad and Dempster's say
plastic helps reduce food waste.
Bounty says they double wrap for sanitary reasons.
And they all say they are trying to use less plastic.
I know Canadian grocers are making a lot of commitments to
reduce the amount of single-use plastics in grocery stores and
that's great and I support them in that,
but they have to move a lot faster then they are.
[Makda] This seems like one way they are trying to solve our
plastic problem.
[man] Compostable bags are all over the place here.
[Makda] Compostable plastics, bags,
straws, even coffee pods.
[man] This is a big one right now.
This compostable coffeepot.
[Makda] The green benefits are on the packaging.
Is this really a solution to our plastic predicament?
To find out, we go to Canada's largest municipality.
In the city of Toronto, compostable packaging should be
placed in the garbage.
-In the garbage? -That's correct.
[Makda] Nadine Kerr is with Solid Waste Management Services
at the city of Toronto.
Anything that behaves like a plastic in our green bin program
is going to get pulled out in that preprocessing step.
So where does this end up?
They will end up in landfill.
[Makda] That goes for compostable plastic bags
and straws too.
It turns out Toronto is not alone.
Most municipalities across the country just
send compostable plastics to the landfill.
What are consumers supposed to think when they see this though?
They see something that says it's compostable.
I know, it can be confusing.
People think they are doing the right thing by
buying the right product.
So is this greenwashing?
I would call it greenwashing, yes.
I would like to see better messaging on these products
so that consumers can make informed choices.
[Makda] Here's the deal.
You can't just put compostable plastics into your backyard.
These plastics require specific conditions like high heat in
industrial composters to properly break down.
And most municipalities say they are not equipped to handle it.
So they end up in the landfill and act like any other organic
waste according to experts.
If a banana peel and a hot dog doesn't break down in
landfill, than how do the compostable coffee pods have a
chance in landfill?
It's confusing for the consumer, it's confusing for the brands.
[Makda] The Urzuas thought they knew
what to look out for.
It says a hundred percent compostable so I would
trust this and I would put it in my
compost so that sounds like a good step.
What if I told you that none of these are accepted
in Toronto at the municipal recycling facilities and they
are not accepted in many facilities across the country?
-Are you serious? -That's what I said.
[Makda] That's serious.
I see no difference.
That's crazy.
Why would they put all the labels on there?
[Makda] Good question.
Who's got the answer?
These are your coffee pods?
Yes, we make them for lots of different companies.
[Makda] John Pigott is the CEO of Club Coffee.
His company produces millions of compostable pods every year.
They are made of food waste.
85% of them are coffee grounds.
Looking at the packaging, this says 100% compostable.
-Upfront. -That's correct, yes.
It's designed to work.
San Francisco approved it, and Seattle approved it.
But where in Canada can you compost these
pods right now?
You can compost them in any system that accepts him.
We checked these with several major cities across
the country and they tell us they do not compost these pods
and it actually ends up in the landfill.
No, it was tested in some municipalities
and it does work.
Which municipalities did you test these coffee pods in?
The city of Toronto.
But currently they are not accepting these.
They don't accept them because they don't want to
accept them for other reasons.
[Makda] Really?
We show him what the city of Toronto told us.
We went to the city of Toronto and showed them the products
and I just want you to watch this.
[Nadine] I would call it greenwashing, yes.
It has been tested, it works and that's what we
designed it to do.
For consumers, you can see a confusing this is.
They are buying the stuff thinking this is compostable,
but what we are being told is, at the end of the day,
it ends up at the landfill.
We know consumers would rather have a plant-based
solution than a plastic based solution.
[Makda] Speaking of solutions...
[everyone] Marketplace! Marketplace!
Marketplace! Marketplace!
Together Marketplace and the Eco Team,
we make a great team right?
Yeah!
[Makda] This is the Eco Team at RL Graham Elementary.
They all know about fighting for the environment.
I care about my world and I really care about animals.
Plastic is not good for the environment.
To stop making single-use plastic.
[Makda] They are probably some of the most sophisticated
consumers in the country.
They have done their homework on how this all works.
What are you seeing in the grocery stores?
You know how they say they recycle the plastic?
Sometimes that happens, sometimes it doesn't.
You guys sound like you know what
you're talking about.
[kids] Yeah.
[Makda] Would you say you are experts?
Yeah!
[Makda] We put them to the test.
We went shopping and bought some things and
we are going to ask you...
I have a bad feeling about this.
If I show you some things,
can you tell me what bins they belong in?
Yeah.
[Makda] Let's start with an easy one.
Oh, no! No!
Ohh, I see lot of you are saying no.
There we go.
Okay, they know their stuff.
How will they do with compostable plastics?
First up, compostable bags.
I want to show you what this one says.
What does this say.
Compostable.
So here would this go?
In the green bin.
[Makda] Do you guys agree with that?
[kids] Yes.
Right, you are going to put that in the green big.
I am going to stop you.
A lot of the centres across the country cannot break this down.
They are just not set up to compost this.
So you know where this actually ends up?
Even if you put it in the compost?
Where does this end up?
[Children murmuring]
In the landfill.
So they got the first compostable plastic wrong.
How about these compostable coffee pods?
Okay so this is the compostable one.
Where does that belong?
The actual coffee pods belong in the garbage
because when it says compostable, most
municipalities don't take it.
It needs an industrial sized composter to
actually get composted.
-[Makda] Is she right? -Yeah.
She is right.
So the pods actually belong?
Garbage.
Do you think the company should make it easier
for you to know what actually belongs in the bin?
Yes.
It's ridiculous!
Even more than ridiculous.
[Makda] Pigott hopes one day his compostable pods will be
accepted across Canada.
Is the system ready for everything?
Not yet.
But you work with them to get there.
We're working with government levels,
to say this is the right long-term solution to turn
this food waste back into the soil.
[Makda] We ask other companies who make or sell
compostable products what they are doing.
No comment from Costco.
Sobeys says they are piloting a number of sustainable
initiatives in their stores.
Walmart and Loblaws say they choose
certified compostable products.
Loblaws adds they get municipalities have
their own rules.
Meanwhile the company that makes this compostable cutlery is
calling on more municipalities to accept it.
For now, these kids are taking action into their own hands.
So is it better to reuse or recycle?
What is better?
Reuse.
So do we recycle or do we reduce?
Reduce!
[Makda] Can you reduce?
Yeah!
[Makda] Reduce and reuse.
Good job! Good job!
It's a no-brainer.
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