We already know that waste - and specifically waste generated by the single-use plastics industry - will be a major agenda item during the G7 summit hosted by Canada in June of this year. After Justin Trudeau's politically neutral response to UK Prime Minister Theresa May's call for other commonwealth countries to join the UK in implementing strict single-use plastic bans, it is now more important than ever to make our voices heard loud and clear on this issue: Canadians want a plastic-free future for our country. It's the only way to keep our oceans, lakes and rivers - and the creatures that rely on them for life - from choking to death.
“We have made the protection of our oceans, specifically looking at plastics in the ocean, one of the key themes of our G7 presidency and I look forward to gathering with the other G7 leaders to discuss this issue and the various solutions that they have put forward.”
Ahead of the G7 Summit, Environmental Defence Canada has released an online petition that, once signed, is sent directly to the Environment Minister of Canada. The petition is calling on our Government to do the following:
🗑 Ban plastics that are toxic or hard to recycle.
🗑 Put regulations in place that mandate shed-free fabrics to keep harmful microfibers out of our waterways.
🗑 Implement standardized, legally enforceable provincial recycling targets that ensure 85% of single-use plastics are recycled by 2025.
🗑 Introduce a national minimum of 75% recycled content for single-use plastics.
🗑Implement laws that make companies fully financially and operationally responsible for collecting and recycling the materials they put on the market (this one is particularly important - why should our tax dollars go towards cleaning up the irresponsible amount of waste generated by corporations? Hit them where it hurts - their bottom line. This will incentivize them to come up with better, safer packaging).
“Right now, making new plastic from fossil resources is cheap, the cost of collecting and recycling plastic is high, and dumping plastic into the environment is “free”...If Canada is serious about ending plastic pollution, we need standardized, and legally enforceable rules from coast-to-coast-to-coast.”
Take #ActionForWater ahead of the G7 and let the Government of Canada know how you feel about plastic by signing and sharing the petition now: