Stop Plastic Pollution

LET’S WORK TOWARDS ZERO PLASTIC WASTE

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Call on the Canadian government to take the next steps to stop plastic pollution in Canada >>

ADD YOUR NAME TO CALL FOR #ZEROPLASTICWASTE IN CANADA >>>

Canada produces over three million tonnes of plastic waste annually. Only eight per cent of that is recycled, leaving the rest to end up in landfill, our environment or be burned. Studies have shown that Canada’s plastic waste problem isn’t going away, and we’re on a path that increases pollution over a real solution. Right now, we burn four per cent of our plastic waste, a process that release cancer causing toxins into the air, soil and water. By 2030, Canada is expected to burn up to 22 per cent of our plastic waste. Worse still, burning plastic is often considered ‘advanced recycling,’ but in reality burning plastic harms the environment and is a false solution to the plastic disaster.

To change the path Canada is on we must rethink this system and work toward zero plastic waste. Canada needs to break up with single-use plastic and move towards systems that refill and reuse materials and packaging. We need all plastic manufactured items to be made from recycled materials to ween off new plastics and fossil fuels. It’s time for a world where refilling is the rule and reusing is routine. A world where life can thrive. Tell the Canadian government you want a world with less harmful plastic and more options >>

To make this a reality, we need the government to:

  • Ban burning plastic waste
  • Invest in refillable and reusable packaging solutions 
  • Include recycled content in all plastic items
  • Ban all unnecessary single-use plastics

Take action and sign the petition today >>

NEW: CANADA’S NATIONAL BAN ON SINGLE-USE PLASTICS
BIG THANKS TO THE MORE THAN 160,000 OF YOU THAT CALLED FOR CHANGE ON OUR PETITION!

On Monday, June 20, 2022, the Canadian government announced a national ban on several harmful single-use plastics, marking a victory for the environment and oceans . The announcement also positions Canada as a global leader in efforts to reduce single-use plastics.

Since 2019, Oceana Canada has been advocating alongside passionate supporters across Canada to reduce plastic pollution. We’ve met with decision makers and lobbied government, published reports on the state of plastic and put forward science-based recommendations to work towards zero plastic waste. And, with the support of over 160,000 individuals that signed our petition, the single-use plastic ban is now a reality!

While banning single-use plastics may seem like a difficult transition, the zero-waste movement is already sweeping across the country and the rest of the world. Canadian municipalities and provinces have already banned some or all of the plastics included in the country’s new national plastic ban. Now, with the support of this ban, the rest of the country can catch up and be united in our national effort to end the plastic disaster.

This ban is an important step to reduce plastic pollution. And although single-use plastics are ubiquitous in our lives today, refill and reuse systems — where you would use the same container again and again —used to be the norm and still is in many countries like Mexico, Brazil and the Philippines. IT’S TIME FOR CANADA TO #REFILLAGAIN TOO.

Plastics are Everywhere

Tens of thousands of individual marine organisms have been observed suffering from entanglement or ingestion of plastics – from zooplankton, corals and fish, to sea turtles, seals, whales and seabirds. Plastics never go away. Instead they break down into smaller and smaller pieces, which act as magnets for harmful pollutants and chemicals. When eaten by fish, some of these contaminated microplastics work their way up the food chain and into our food supply. It is estimated that humans consume approximately one credit card worth of plastic each week. The problem is only growing. Global production of plastic is increasing. It has nearly doubled since the start of the millennium and it’s expected to increase at least fourfold by 2050. To solve this crisis, we must significantly reduce the use of single-use and disposable plastics at its source.

Plastics in Canada

Although Canadians make up less than 0.5 per cent of the global population, we use 1.4 per cent of all plastics produced.  In 2010, Canada produced nine times more plastic waste per person than India, up to 3.6 times more than some countries in Southeast Asia and up to twice that of some Scandinavian countries. And our consumption keeps growing. Canada currently uses 4.6 million tonnes of plastics every year — roughly 125 kilograms per person.  Experts predict that by 2030, that number will grow to more than six million tonnes per year. For decades, wealthier nations like Canada have been sending plastic waste to less wealthy nations, countries that often do not have robust waste management systems. From 1988 to 2016, Canada shipped almost four million tonnes of plastics abroad, mostly to Asia.  That’s like shipping 800 blue whales every year for 29 years. Canada is part of the problem, so we must be part of the solution. Oceana Canada is calling on our government to live up to its promise to ban unnecessary single-use plastics.

Oceana is working around the world to stop plastic pollution. Find out how at Oceana.org/Plastics.

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