Taking aim at single use plastics will save us money while making a real difference
When it comes to taking concrete steps that will protect the environment, North America lags behind other jurisdictions. That said, it is hard to find people who would argue against the idea of creating less waste, especially for plastics which are destined for landfills and are wreaking havoc in the oceans. While there might be some inconvenience as we move away from things like plastic cutlery or excess packaging the benefits far outweigh the concerns and there are monetary gains to be made as well.
Europe offers us an example of that with new EU legislation that will ban single-use plastics like straws, plates and cutlery. In addition to that, they are working to increase recycling on items like plastic bottles. It is expected these regulations will eliminate $24.9 billion in projected environmental damages and save consumers $7.38 billion over the next decade alone.
Apart from cost savings, there are also opportunities for innovation to fill the gaps that will occur when items like plastic cutlery are no longer viable options. Look at takeout chop sticks as an example of an entirely biodegradable option. Made from wood and packaged in a paper sleeve, you could drop these into the ocean (although this isn’t to recommend doing that) without much worry while the same can’t be said for the plastic rings that hold six-packs together.
New Democrats have been working on these issues and receiving a lot of support for our efforts. Over 170,000 people signed a petition in favour of our ocean plastic motion so it only makes sense to follow that up with legislation aimed at the source of some of that pollution-single use plastics. That’s what happened this week when we rolled out the Zero-Waste Packaging Act that will require all consumer product packaging to be either recyclable or compostable. The aim is to reduce plastic waste, cut the cost that municipalities pay for landfills, and help Canadians recycle.
A number of environmental and recycling groups have already expressed support for the bill, pointing to its potential to set clear standards to make recycling easier for Canadians and to reduce the environmental damage from excessive plastic packaging. Additionally, with single-use plastics accounting for 70 percent of all marine litter, this will help us make headway on an issue that clearly has a lot of Canadians concerned.
We have seen how the debate on climate change is a contentious issue. The same can’t be said for attempts to combat plastic pollution, but there is significant work to be done if Canada wants to catch up to world leaders on this front. Right now, only 11 percent of plastics in Canada are recycled. The government says they are committed to reducing plastic waste, but we don’t have any national legislation to help us get to a zero waste Canada. We must do better. If the European Union, with over 500 million people, can commit to making meaningful steps to tackle plastic waste then surely Canada can too.
