Single-use plastics could be banned in the country by as early as 2021.
There is not a full list of what will be banned yet, but Hastings-Lennox and Addington MP Mike Bossio is happy to see this plan moving forward. “Plastic waste is a problem,” he tells My Bancroft Now.
It’s noted by the federal government that Canadians throw away over three million tonnes of plastic waste a year. They say this represents $8 billion in lost value. By 2030, the feds say $11 billion worth of plastic materials will have been tossed by Canadians.
Along with the banning of single-use plastics, companies that manufacture or sell plastic products will be held accountable for the waste produced, rather than leaving the responsibility with municipalities across the country. It would be called the Extended Producer Responsibility system.
Bossio says he will continue to advocate to have plastics banned from landfills. “As long as it’s cheap to landfill, plastics will not make it to recycling,” he says. Bossio thinks a market needs to be created so that recycled content can more easily be used in new products. “If we don’t give businesses a clear market signal that that’s where you want to go then that market isn’t going to happen,” he adds.
“Canadians want to do the right thing,” Bossio says. “And we’re already seeing a number of them are taking the measures needed to reduce.” Whether that’s businesses who have stopped using single-use straws or people who no longer use plastic bags and have instead bought reusable bags for grocery shopping.