Plastic packaging and single-use plastics (SUPs) account for 35% of all plastics on the market in 2018. They also make up over 50% of all plastic waste generated in Canada, with less than 14% recycled, meaning most ends up in landfills, incinerators, or the environment, including the oceans.

Canada is proposing a no-more-plastic action plan with a focus on the Manufacturing, Fishing and Agricultural sectors. For the average Canadian, the Government is Implementing a 'Canada wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste', which includes:

➡️ Improved labeling, including the misleading “chasing arrows” ♻️

➡️ Prohibiting the manufacture, import and sale of single-use plastic e.g. checkout bags, cutlery, ring carriers, stir sticks, straws, and selected foodservice items (some exceptions apply)

➡️ Plastic packaging in Canada to contain at least 50% recycled content by 2030

➡️ All levels of government to work with industry, to recycle and reuse a target of 55% of all plastic all packaging 2030

➡️ Industry target to achieve 100% reusable, recyclable, or, where viable alternatives do not exist, recoverable, plastics by 2030

➡️ Target to recover 100% of all plastics by 2040

https://www.wto.org/library/events/event_resources/tbt_0703202310/70_317.pdf 

➜➜ Is Canada on track? 🤔

❌ NO – according to this report card: https://environmentaldefence.ca/report/zero-plastic-waste-report-card/ 

❓ Is Canada doing enough? Should consumers do more? How to hold Canadian businesses, government and manufacturers accountable?

More links:

➡️ What has/ not worked: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/plastic-bans-by-city-town-1.7196086

➡️ Strategy on zero plastic waste from 2018/2019: https://ccme.ca/en/res/strategyonzeroplasticwaste.pdf 

➡️ Federal Plastics Registry: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing-reducing-waste/reduce-plastic-waste/initiative-regulation/federal-plastics-registry.html

➡️ Canada Auditor report: https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2024/bvg-oag/FA1-26-2024-1-3-eng.pdf

‼️ Next post - What the EU is doing – is this an example for Canada to follow?