Stop Plastic Pollution - Oceana Canada

Stop Plastic Pollution

Tackling the Plastic Crisis at the Source

Together we can protect the oceans from plastic pollution

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Overview

Plastic is everywhere. It’s on beaches, in Arctic sea ice, in the deepest depths of the ocean, in the air we breathe and the food we eat. Tens of thousands of marine animals have suffered from entanglement or ingestion of plastics – from zooplankton to fish and whales. Enough is enough. Oceana Canada campaigns alongside the other Oceana country offices to stop plastic pollution at the source. We are working to pass policies in Canada that reduce the production of unnecessary single-use plastics, eliminate plastics that cannot be recycled and move toward circular, refill and reuse systems.

SIGN THE PETITION: TELL THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT TO TAKE ACTION TO STOP PLASTIC POLLUTION >>>

Canada produces over four 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. Plastic pollutes at every stage of its lifecycle. Studies have shown that Canada’s plastic waste problem isn’t going away and is only expected to increase without strong intervention right now.

The problem is too big for consumers to solve alone. We need government and industry to change course and prioritize real solutions to reduce single-use plastic production and help solve the crisis plaguing the ocean.

To change the path Canada is on, we must rethink our current system. Canada needs to break the cycle 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 content to ween off new plastics and fossil fuels and create market demand for highly recyclable materials. We need to ban greenwashing, like the burning of plastic waste as a form of recycling and calling plastics that break down into micro-plastics “biodegradable.” It’s time for a world where refilling is the rule and reusing is routine. A world without harmful single-use plastics where life can thrive. Tell the Canadian government you want a world with less plastic and more options >>

Oceana Canada is focused on conducting research and meeting with key decision makers to advance plastic reduction strategies and policies in Canada. As a minimum, we need the Government of Canada to:

  • Ban harmful single-use plastics in key sectors like e-commerce and dine-in restaurants and venues
  • Phase-out all non-recyclable plastic packaging polymers like polyvinyl chloride and polystyrene
  • Bring back refill and reuse to the major single-use plastic sources like beverage bottles, grocery stores, restaurants and shipping
  • Ban burning plastic waste as a form of recycling – it’s pollution, not a solution

ADD YOUR VOICE AND TELL THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT YOU WANT A WORLD WITH LESS HARMFUL PLASTICS AND MORE ALTERNATIVES >>

Take Action

Stop Plastic Pollution At The Source

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MAKING THE WORLD CUP ZERO WASTE IN 2026 

Millions of fans will fill host cities Toronto and Vancouver as the FIFA World Cup 26™ makes its way to Canada. These high-profile events create a legacy, but will it be one of sports sustainability or mountains of trash? 

This isn’t just a waste issue — it’s an ocean crisis. Major sports stadiums across Canada routinely serve single-use items, many of them made from or lined with plastic. In Canada, half of all plastic waste is single-use like the products served in the stands. Yet only 8% of plastics are recycled, with more than 90% going to landfill, incineration, or directly into lakes, rivers, and oceans. That’s hundreds of thousands of single-use items like cups, containers, plates and cutlery. But there is a solution. 

Reuse systems provide an opportunity to prevent a lot of this waste. The solution is simple: swap single-use cups for reusable ones that are collected, cleaned, and returned for the next game—setting a new zero-waste standard in sport. By eliminating single use and implementing reuse and refill systems at stadiums and major events like the World Cup we can protect the oceans and show the world that Canada can be a leader in sports sustainability. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE #REUSEFORTHEWIN MOVEMENT >>

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FEATURED CAMPAIGN

Zero-Waste World Cup in 2026

Oceana Canada is working with stadiums, beverage companies, and governments to make the FIFA World Cup 26TM in Canada the greenest games yet. Ditching the landfill-bound, single-use cups for ones that can be reused again and again means sustainability can become a permanent part of our stadiums, long after the final whistle.

Learn More

CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS

Stop Plastic Pollution

Restore Capelin Abundance

Protect North Atlantic Right Whales

Rebuild Ocean Abundance

Protect Marine Habitat

Contact

Oceana Canada Headquarters
18 King Street East, Suite 505
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 1C4

Phone: +1 (416) 583-2350
Email: info@oceana.ca

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Oceana Canada operates in many regions across Canada. From coast to coast to coast, we acknowledge the ancestral and unceded territory of all the Inuit, Métis, and First Nations communities that call this land home, and we strive for our work to be done in a spirit of collaboration and reconciliation.

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