Greta Jimenez
The Government of Canada is taking several steps to address plastic pollution, including banning harmful single-use plastics, investing in innovation, and working with various levels of government, industries, and communities to implement solutions. Canada has committed $183.1 million over five years to reduce plastic waste, increase circularity, and address the impacts of plastic pollution on human health and the environment. The government is also supporting small businesses in finding innovative solutions to reduce plastic waste and promoting a circular economy. Additionally, Canada has contributed to global initiatives such as the Ocean Plastics Charter and the G7 Innovation Challenge to Address Marine Plastic Litter.
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What You'll Learn
Canada's Zero Plastic Waste Agenda
Phased Action Plan
Phase 2, launched in 2020, targeted a reduction in plastic pollution, heightened awareness, stronger scientific research, and global action. This phase included the Canada-wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste, which was adopted by the federal, provincial, and territorial governments.
Innovation and Funding
The Canadian government is committed to supporting innovation and providing funding to address plastic waste. The Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenges (CPIC) offer funding to small and medium-sized enterprises to develop technologies for tackling plastic waste. The government has invested nearly $19 million in CPIC, providing grants of up to $150,000 for proof-of-concept development and up to $1 million for selected prototypes.
Additionally, the Zero Plastic Waste Initiative has funded over $5 million in projects focused on education, community science, clean-ups, and raising awareness about sustainable consumer practices. Canada also pledged $20 million in support of the G7 Innovation Challenge to Address Marine Plastic Litter, fostering the development of innovative solutions for sustainable plastic management.
International Collaboration and Ocean Plastics Charter
Canada has actively promoted international collaboration to address plastic pollution. During its G7 presidency in 2018, Canada championed the Ocean Plastics Charter, which calls for a more sustainable approach to producing, using, and managing plastics. The charter recognizes the urgent need to address the detrimental impacts of marine litter on oceans, seas, coastal communities, and ecosystems.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
The Canadian government is working to implement Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs, which hold companies that manufacture plastic products or use plastic packaging accountable for managing their plastic waste. This includes the collection and recycling of plastic waste to support the transition to a circular economy.
Consultations and Standards
The government is engaging in consultations to develop labelling rules for recyclability and compostability, as well as creating a federal plastics registry for producers of plastic products. These consultations aim to harmonize data collection and make information accessible to measure progress toward zero plastic waste.
Canada is also establishing performance standards to increase the use of recycled content in plastic products and ensuring that manufacturers, importers, and sellers take responsibility for the recycling of their plastic products and packaging.
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Canada's Greening Government Strategy
Reducing Single-Use Plastics
Canada is working towards eliminating the unnecessary use of single-use plastics in government operations, meetings, and events. This includes banning harmful single-use plastic items such as shopping bags, straws, cutlery, plates, and stir sticks, which have been identified as being detrimental to the environment and human health.
Promoting Sustainable Alternatives
The strategy encourages the purchase and use of more sustainable plastic products that can be reused, repaired, or repurposed. By extending the life of products, Canada aims to divert at least 75% of plastic waste from federal operations by 2030. This extends to end-of-use electronics, with a roadmap being developed to ensure plastics used in electronics are retained and reused.
Supporting Innovation
Canada is providing support and funding to small and medium-sized enterprises through initiatives like the Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenge (CPIC). This funding incentivises the development of innovative technologies and solutions for managing plastic waste throughout its lifecycle. This includes improving plastic recycling through artificial intelligence and refining bioplastics technologies.
International Collaboration
Canada has shown leadership on the international stage by launching the Ocean Plastics Charter at the 2018 G7 summit in Charlevoix. This charter outlines concrete actions to address plastic pollution and marine litter, recognising the urgency of protecting the health and sustainability of oceans and coastal communities. Canada has also pledged $20 million towards the G7 Innovation Challenge to Address Marine Plastic Litter.
Community Engagement
The Canadian government is providing funding and support to community-led organisations to start new plastics projects that mobilise and engage citizens. This includes education, outreach, and citizen science initiatives, as well as community clean-up efforts, to reduce plastic waste at a local level.
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The Ocean Plastics Charter
The charter aims to address the devastating impacts of marine litter on the health and sustainability of oceans, seas, coastal communities, and ecosystems. It recognizes the urgent need for action by all sectors of society to prevent plastic pollution and promote a more resource-efficient and sustainable approach to plastic management. The charter's objectives include:
- Strengthening measures to prevent plastics from entering the oceans, such as market-based instruments and improved labelling standards, to enable consumers to make informed, sustainable choices.
- Supporting industry leadership initiatives and fostering knowledge exchange through existing alliances and other mechanisms.
- Promoting the leadership role of women and youth in advocating for sustainable consumption and production practices.
- Developing platforms for information sharing, awareness, and education on preventing plastic waste generation, reducing plastic pollution, and eliminating marine litter.
- Assessing current plastic consumption and analyzing the level of plastic consumption by major sectors, while identifying and discouraging unnecessary plastic use.
The Government of Canada is also taking additional steps to reduce plastic waste and pollution. This includes working with various levels of government, industries, non-profit organizations, and communities to implement plastic waste solutions. Canada has pledged $20 million towards the G7 Innovation Challenge to Address Marine Plastic Litter and has invested over $5 million in projects focused on education, community science, and clean-up initiatives. Furthermore, Canada is committed to eliminating single-use plastics in government operations and meetings, extending the life of plastic products, and diverting plastic waste from federal operations.
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The Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenge
The challenges focus on sectors known to generate large amounts of plastic waste and pollution and areas with technological gaps and significant opportunities for impact and innovation. Some of the themes and categories of the challenges include:
- Advancing reuse to replace single-use plastics: Reusable packaging that can be safely and efficiently refilled can reduce waste and benefit consumers and industries. Making reuse more accessible and affordable can help shift away from single-use plastics and move Canada closer to its goal of zero plastic waste.
- Improving the collection and sorting of plastic film and flexible packaging: Plastic film and flexible packaging are significant contributors to plastic waste, and the recycling rate for flexible plastic waste in Canada is currently below 4%. Addressing the issues with collecting and sorting this type of plastic waste will help boost recycling rates and promote a circular economy for plastics.
- Mitigating the release of microplastics from tire wear: Microplastics from tire wear are a significant source of plastic pollution, as they can enter the air, soil, and waterways. Introducing new technologies to reduce their release can create opportunities for more sustainable manufacturing practices.
- Identifying ways to reduce and recycle plastic construction waste: This includes finding methods to separate mixed plastics for recycling and exploring smart packaging design to minimize plastic waste.
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Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy tool that makes the producers of a product legally and financially responsible for mitigating its environmental impact at the end of its life. EPR is a commonsense policy that has been widely adopted in Canada and the European Union, with interest growing in the United States.
EPR programs can be structured in various ways, but they typically involve producers paying fees to a collective producer responsibility organization (PRO), which then distributes the funds to cover the costs of end-of-life management for the products. These costs can include collection, sorting, and processing, as well as outreach and education, infrastructure improvements, and end-market development for recycled materials.
The success of EPR programs relies on effective enforcement and consumer participation in properly disposing of products. When implemented well, EPR policies can create jobs, reduce waste, preserve natural resources, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce the financial burden on municipalities and agencies responsible for waste management and recycling.
In the context of plastic pollution, EPR programs incentivize companies to design products that are easier to recycle or reuse, set up systems to collect and recycle plastic products after consumption, and fund consumer education programs about proper disposal. Several countries have implemented EPR policies for plastic packaging with promising results. For example, Germany's EPR system achieved a 42% recycling rate for plastic packaging by 2019, while Japan's EPR system led to a 93% recycling rate for PET bottles by 2021.
EPR is a critical component of a comprehensive approach to addressing recycling challenges and single-use product pollution. By holding producers accountable for the environmental impact of their products, EPR can drive the adoption of more sustainable practices and contribute to a circular economy.
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Frequently asked questions
The Government of Canada is taking several steps to reduce plastic pollution, including banning harmful single-use plastics, investing in Canadian innovation, and working with provinces, territories, businesses, and communities to implement plastic waste solutions. They have also published the Science Assessment of Plastic Pollution, which recommends actions to reduce plastic pollution and informs federal policies and research.
The Canadian government is providing funding and support to small and medium-sized enterprises through initiatives like the Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenge (CPIC) and the G7 Innovation Challenge to Address Marine Plastic Litter. These programs offer incentives and resources for developing innovative solutions for reducing plastic waste and promoting circular economy principles.
The government is working to eliminate unnecessary plastics, increase the value of discarded plastics, and assign responsibility to industries to improve product design. They are also investing in scientific research to understand the impacts of microplastics and improve plastic waste management. Additionally, they are supporting community-led actions, education, and awareness-raising activities to engage citizens in reducing plastic waste.
The government is collaborating with industries through initiatives like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs, where companies are responsible for the end-of-life management of their products and packaging. They are also working to increase the use of recycled content in plastic products, improve plastic recycling technologies, and promote sustainable production and consumption patterns across industries.
