Canada’s single-use plastic regulations, just the tip of the plastic iceberg
Plastics are all around us and are a part of our everyday lives. Some plastic is beneficial and serves a specialized purpose including its use in vehicles, computers, and many medical applications. However, single-use plastics which are used for a few minutes and then discarded, have created a major pollution problem. Our ocean is filling up with plastic trash - choking fish, birds, turtles, and whales. It is even entering the human food chain in the form of microplastics.
Recently, various levels of government in Canada have taken action to address plastic pollution. With the support from local Surfrider Foundation Canada Chapters, several municipalities in British Columbia have passed bylaws banning certain types of harmful single-use plastics, such as Tofino, Ucluelet and Victoria. The Province of British Columbia has also recently announced that it is taking aim at banning problem single-use plastics, with the first phase of new regulations expected in early 2023. And the Government of Canada has prepared and released draft Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations.
Canada’s regulations target six categories of single-use plastic manufactured items: checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware made from or containing problematic plastics, ring carriers, stir sticks and straws. Surfrider Foundation Canada supports the proposed Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations and believe that they are a strong preliminary step towards a healthier and cleaner planet for future generations. However, there are numerous ways the proposed regulations can be improved – as well as several other avenues that can be pursued to combat plastic pollution.
Surfrider Foundation Canada worked with the University of Victoria’s Environmental Law Centre to develop a submission that provides comments on Canada’s draft Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations. You can review the entire submission here: https://elc.uvic.ca/publications/single-use-plastics-federal-regulations/ An opinion piece on our submission was also published in the Globe and Mail, which can be viewed here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/amp/opinion/article-ottawas-proposed-single-use-plastics-ban-is-a-step-forward-but-falls/ (PDF)
While plastic policy in Canada is heading in the right direction, this is only a small part of an iceberg of work that needs to be done. Single-use plastics are harmful and unnecessary, so it is important that governments of all levels are working to eliminate these materials. But Surfrider Foundation Canada knows from the first-hand experience of its volunteers that these aren’t the only types of plastic impacting coastlines in this country. In fact, results of our chapters and clubs beach cleanups and other cleanup initiatives find large amounts of fishing and aquaculture gear, as well as plastic from other industrial applications. To fully reduce the impact of plastic pollution on Canadian coastlines, greater measures need to be taken to address these categories of plastic materials. Check out these reports for best practices in addressing fishing and aquaculture gear management.
Surfrider Foundation Canada will continue to advocate for solutions to all types of plastic pollution that impact Canadian coastlines. Your support of Surfrider will help ensure that the plastic pollution crisis in Canada is fully addressed.
