Aim For 1/3rd Yearly Reduction in Single-Use Plastics in Canada
Most of us learn at a young age that plastic is the furthest thing from biodegradable, and you had to have turned the deafest of ears to the media to not know that improperly disposed of / recycled plastic is an even bigger problem than it needs to be here in North America. We say bigger than it needs to be because the sheer ubiquity of plastic in our lives makes it pretty much impossible than massive volumes of it get thrown out daily. But the reasons it is more of a problem is just that; plastic is going to be around for a long time and that means it needs to be recycled and reused as much as possible.
Plastic waste mismanagement is a problem here too, and while our area of expertise is always going to be with Colborne and Trenton dumpster rentals we are always going to take an interest in waste management and recycling methodologies here and elsewhere in the world. That’s why talk of Canada reducing its single-use plastics by 1/3 every year going forward is definitely going to get our attention, and it’s what we’ll talk about with this month’s blog entry.
Part of responsible waste disposal and jobsite cleanup in Ontario is directing recyclables to the right place when they end up in the general refuse collected in bins. It’s been that way for decades, but if there can be less single-use plastic going into the trash it is going to make a lot of jobs easier, and that will include ours with Trenton and Colborne area waste disposal. So let’s dig into this and perhaps it will make some of you aware of what you can be done individually to improve plastic recycling.
Frameworks in Place
The overarching belief based on findings is that despite population growth and associated demand, existing federal policy tools should be sufficient for promoting a significant reduction. This comes from Oceana Canada, and independent charity that aims to promote healthier oceans on either side of our country, and the fact we all know what the Pacific garbage patch is indicates how much of a problem discarded plastic is for the world’s oceans. That definitely applies to us in Canada too.
In fact, plastic pollution is the 2nd biggest threat to the planet after climate change, and there’s a firm and very real link between the two. 90% of Canadians surveyed by Oceana Canada support a single-use plastic ban. To that end Environment and Climate Change Canada has already banned six categories of unnecessary single-use plastics last year and plans to put recycled content requirements in place, along with improving plastics labelling and making sure that major grocers across Canada get onboard with smart changes too.
So what will be needed for making this type of progress with reducing plastic waste. It will start with implementing bans on unnecessary and hard-to-recycle items and pollution prevention plans for key sectors to establish plastic reduction requirements, refill and reuse provisions, and proven recycling targets. There are 7 sectors that are the greatest sources of single-use plastic collectively generating 41% of plastic packaging waste in Canada.
Grocery stores generate more than 382,430 tons of single-use plastic each year, and this suggested plan will call for reduction in single-use plastic SUP generation by way of unwrapping products, bringing back refill systems and removing all non-recyclable packaging from store is required. The belief is that by doing so we can collectively reduce plastic packaging waste by 45% by 2040.
Drink Containers
Next up are beverage containers, and 178,000 tons of single-use plastic waste are generated on their behalf each year. Pop and water are the leading products that contribute to this waste. The suggestion here is for improved and more incentivized deposit return systems that should result in 70% of bottles being refillable and reusable by 2040.
An especially bad contributor to the problem is Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polystyrene (PS). Canada produces nearly 135,000 tons of single-use plastic that cannot be recycled or reused made from these materials, but expanding on current shifts to recyclable materials for packaging and other interests will go a long way here too.
Dine-out food service creates 125,000 tons of plastic packaging waste each year, and dine-in food service generates more than 70,000 tons of single-use plastic each year. What is suggested here is a distribution ban, and again with incentivization measures for consumers using the services.
Grocery retailers are going to need to be on board too if we are going to realize major reductions in plastic waste in Canada, and in the summer of 2023, the government notified major grocers of a P2 plan to reduce unnecessary plastics in their operations.
All of this is just formative planning at this stage, but it’s a positive that there are efforts being made to develop a roadmap for having the country produce a lot less plastic waste year after year.
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Call Load n’ Lift first for disposal bin rentals in the Trenton and Colborne areas and enjoy same day service with dropping off dumpster rentals and then taking them away for disposal once you’ve filled them. You can also lease to own dumpsters here and we have 6 different sizes of containers available. Dumpster rentals in Belleville, dumpster rentals in Castleton, or dumpster rentals in Cobourg or elsewhere in this area of Ontario, we’ve got you covered. Plus our mini-bin system is ideal for locations where trucks would have difficulty placing, accessing, and removing standard-sized disposal bins.
