Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:

• The United Nations names plastic pollution as the second greatest threat to the environment after climate change;
• The federal government has drafted single-use plastics regulations as a step towards eliminating harmful plastic pollutants;
• The proposed federal regulations contain loopholes in the definitions which will allow manufacturers to create more durable single-use plastics, including cutlery and plastic bags;
• The definitions exclude common plastic litter, such as single-use hot and cold beverage containers and lids, and packaging for consumer goods;
• The proposed regulations allow for the continued manufacturing and export of harmful single-use plastics;
• These regulatory loopholes will contribute to the creation of more problematic plastic pollution entering the marine and terrestrial environment;
• Canada needs to create stronger regulations to eliminate plastic pollution;
• Other jurisdictions, including Chile and the European Union, are leading the way on single-use plastics bans with regulations that Canada could use as an example to build on; and
• Advocates in Canada, including Oceana Canada, strongly support strengthening the federal government’s proposed regulations.

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 to continue to be manufactured and exported;

3. Revise the retail sales exception on single-use plastic straws so people needing them for medical purposes can request them;

4. Implement a clear and staged action plan to eliminate single-use plastics by 2030; and

5. Bring these proposed regulations into force six months after they are published.

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 is projected to increase by thirty percent over the next decade.

NoSUP Canada aims to eliminate single-use plastic in Canada*.

*NoSUP recognizes that single-use plastic items are used by some groups of the Canadian population and will work to ensure any ban on SUP allows for exemptions for these groups.