What Canadian provinces and territories are doing to support the plastic ban 

As the first phase of the single-use plastic ban has come into effect, it’s crucial to recognize that provincial and municipal governments can create provincial laws or by-laws to support our zero-plastic waste goals further. For the next few days, we’ll uncover the different tactics provinces and cities across Canada have taken or will beContinue reading “What Canadian provinces and territories are doing to support the plastic ban “

Plastic-free resolutions for 2023

Canada’s single-use plastic ban came into effect on December 20, 2022, and we’re already seeing retailers and restaurants moving away from single-use plastics. So it’s no surprise that we want our resolutions to be plastic-free and zero-waste-focused this year.  We’ve come down to five resolutions we’ll focus on, and we encourage you to add themContinue reading “Plastic-free resolutions for 2023”

What’s not included in Canada’s single-use plastic ban

From May to September, NoSUP Canada petitioned the Government of Canada to improve the single-use plastic ban by strengthening regulations and accelerating the timeline toward zero-plastic waste goals supported by almost 1,500 signatures. Unfortunately, the first phase of the single-use plastic ban only includes checkout bags, stir sticks, can rings, takeout items, cutlery and straws,Continue reading “What’s not included in Canada’s single-use plastic ban”

Wrapping Up Circular Economy Month

Definition of a circular economy: The circular economy is a systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity, waste and pollution. It aims to redefine how we create products to design out waste and encourages access over ownership.  As we say goodbye to October and start anew in November, we must notContinue reading “Wrapping Up Circular Economy Month”

Phase One of Canada’s Single-Use Plastic Ban: Facts & Alternatives

The first phase of Canada’s Single-Use Plastic Ban includes checkout bags, cutlery, takeout items, plastic aluminum can ring carriers, stir sticks, and straws. However, the six items being banned only account for about 3% of the total amount of plastic waste created in Canada. Nevertheless, this first phase is a step in the right direction,Continue reading “Phase One of Canada’s Single-Use Plastic Ban: Facts & Alternatives”

How to organize a cleanup

Beach cleanups, park cleanups and trail cleanups have been a popular part of environmental conservation for decades. Plogging — derived from the Swedish words for “pick-up while jogging” — has become a movement worldwide where individuals collect garbage while running, jogging, walking, and even scuba diving. While we recognize that cleanups don’t deal with theContinue reading “How to organize a cleanup”

The Origins of Plastic Free July

Every year, over 100 million people participate in Plastic Free July in over 190 countries worldwide.  But how did this begin?  It all started when Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, the founder and current Executive Director of the Plastic Free Foundation, visited a recycling facility in Western Australia and witnessed the amount of waste produced. She was overwhelmedContinue reading “The Origins of Plastic Free July”

Sign now to ban single-use plastic in Canada

Petition to the Government of Canada Whereas: We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Strengthen regulatory definitions to include more harmful single-use plastic items and close loopholes that currently allow plastic items to be replaced with more durable problematic plastic; 2. Remove the exemption that allows banned products toContinue reading “Sign now to ban single-use plastic in Canada”

Unpacking Canada’s Single-Use Plastic Ugly Truth

Canada has a plastic problem with an overreliance on single-use plastic. 3.3 million metric tons of plastic are disposed of in Canada each year. 50% of the plastic used in Canada is for single-use items. Only 9% is recycled, with the remainder ending up in landfills or polluting land and waterways. And plastic waste isContinue reading “Unpacking Canada’s Single-Use Plastic Ugly Truth”