Government of Canada takes next steps forward on better plastic recyclability, compostability, and tracking

TERREBONNE, QC, July 25, 2022 /CNW/ - Canadians are concerned about the impact of plastic waste and want concrete action to improve the recycling of plastics and prevent pollution. The Government of Canada is continuing to bring forward new measures to better manage plastic and move towards its goal of zero plastic waste by 2030.

Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, announced the next step in delivering on Canada's commitments on plastic waste and pollution by launching two consultations to:

1. Develop rules for recyclability and compostability labelling; and
2. Establish a federal plastics registry for producers of plastic products.

New labelling rules would prohibit the use of the chasing-arrows symbol and other recyclability claims on plastic products unless at least 80 percent of Canadians have access to recycling systems that accept and have reliable end markets for these products. Without these features, plastic products cannot be reprocessed and reintroduced to the market as part of a circular economy. Labelling rules would also regulate the use of terms such as "compostable" and "biodegradable" on plastic products, requiring them to be certified by a third-party organization.

The new proposed regulations would also include rules requiring minimum levels of recycled plastic in certain products, on which the Government recently concluded consultations.

The goal is to improve plastic packaging design, inform consumer choices for the plastics they buy and how they use and dispose of them, and improve the performance of recycling systems to generate more and higher-quality recycled plastics. These measures will support both positive environmental and economic outcomes through reduced waste and pollution as well as new investments in innovation and recycling infrastructure.

The Government of Canada is also committed to developing a registry that would collect data on the life cycle of plastics in Canada. This registry would support the provinces and territories that are making plastic producers responsible for their plastic waste by requiring companies to report on the quantity of plastic products they place on the Canadian market and how these products are diverted from landfills at the end of their lives.

These consultations follow Canada's recent publication of regulations to ban harmful single‑use plastics, all of which are part of the Government's plan to reduce plastic pollution through a comprehensive approach that addresses the entire life cycle of plastics.

Until October 7, 2022, partners, stakeholders, and the public are invited to comment on the discussion papers for the development of labelling rules and the federal plastic registry. A draft regulatory text for labelling rules is targeted for publication as early as mid‑2023.

Quote

"Far too many plastics end up in our landfills, our waterways, on our streets, and in our environment. We must find a way to recirculate plastics in our economy. That means improving outcomes at each stage in the recycling process, and helping consumers understand labelling rules so that plastics are used multiple times. We also need better data collection, and rules for responsible producers that are consistent, comprehensive, and transparent. Together, these tools can help keep more plastic in the economy and out of the environment as we make measurable progress towards zero plastic waste."
– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change 

"We are taking ambitious action to reduce plastic pollution through Canada's comprehensive approach, which addresses the entire life cycle of plastics. A month ago, we finalized regulations to ban harmful single-use plastics, but more work is needed. The measures proposed today will help improve the collection and end-of-life management of plastics, which will keep these products out of our landfills and the environment."
– Angelo Iacono, Member of Parliament, Alfred-Pellan, Quebec

Quick facts

• In 2018, Canadians threw away 4.4 million tonnes of plastic waste, only 8 percent of which was recycled. The vast majority of plastic waste ends up in landfills, while about 1 percent—that is about 1 kilogram per person in Canada per year—ends up in the environment as plastic pollution.
• On June 22, 2022, the Government of Canada published the final Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations in the Canada Gazette, Part II. Over the next decade, it is estimated that these regulations will eliminate over 1.3 million tonnes of hard-to-recycle plastic waste and more than 22,000 tonnes of plastic pollution, which is equivalent to over a million garbage bags full of litter.
• Moving toward a more circular economy for plastics could reduce carbon emissions by 1.8 megatonnes annually, generate billions of dollars in revenue, and create approximately 42,000 jobs by 2030.

Associated links

• Consultation on rules for recyclability and compostability labelling
• Consultation on a federal plastic registry
• Government of Canada delivers on commitment to ban harmful single-use plastics
• Government of Canada consulting on new measures to require certain plastic items be made of at least 50 percent recycled material
• Information sheet on plastic pollution
• Zero plastic waste: Canada's actions
• Canada-wide strategy on zero plastic waste and phases 1 and 2 of the action plan
• Canada's Plastics Science Agenda

Supporting Canada's Zero Plastic Waste Agenda

Backgrounder

The Government of Canada is launching two consultations in support of its Zero Plastic Waste Agenda: 1) the development of labelling rules for recyclability and compostability (e.g., the use of the "chasing arrows"), and 2) the development of a federal plastics registry for producers of plastic products. These measures will help improve the collection and end-of-life management (e.g. reuse, recycling) of plastics and help keep these products out of our landfills and environment. The consultations will be open until October 7, 2022. A draft regulatory text for labelling rules is targeted for publication as early as mid-2023.

Rules for recyclability and compostability labelling

In Canada, plastic packaging represents nearly half of all the plastic that ends up in landfills. Currently, less than 15 percent of packaging waste is successfully recycled. Labels on plastic packaging that claim recyclability or compostability are often inaccurate, and Canadians are not given clear information about whether an item should be put in a recycling bin, a composting bin, or the garbage. This can result in confusion and products ending up in the wrong place.

New labelling rules would prohibit the use of the chasing-arrows symbol and other recyclability claims on plastic products unless at least 80 percent of Canadians have access to recycling systems that accept and have reliable end markets for them. This will help ensure that plastic products can be reprocessed and reintroduced to the market as part of a circular economy.  

Additionally, to help prevent contamination from unwanted products in recycling and composting facilities, the Government also intends to regulate the use of terms such as "compostable," "degradable," and "biodegradable" in the labelling of plastic packaging and single-use items.

The proposed labelling rules would be part of new regulations aimed at improving plastics recycling through better product design. The proposed regulations would also include rules requiring minimum levels of recycled plastic in certain products, which the Government recently concluded consultations on through a discussion paper.

Federal plastics registry for producers of plastic products

The Government of Canada is also committed to developing a registry that would require producers to report annually on plastics in the Canadian economy. The federal plastics registry would collect data on the life cycle of plastics in Canada by requiring companies to report on the quantity of plastic products they place on the Canadian market and how these products are diverted from landfills at the end of their lives.

The Government of Canada supports provincial and territorial efforts to improve recycling systems through extended producer responsibility (EPR). EPR is a policy approach in which a producer is made responsible for the collection and management of products and packaging at the end of their life. Currently, reporting requirements for EPR programs are inconsistent across Canada and hard to access. As a result, it is difficult for Canadians to know how effective EPR is in helping to reduce plastic waste. A federal plastics registry would harmonize data collection, and make that data open by default and accessible in one place. This would make it easier to measure progress toward zero plastic waste, and support provinces and territories in making plastic producers responsible for their plastic waste.

The Government of Canada is considering requiring data to be reported on all major categories of plastic products, covering approximately 88 percent of all plastics placed on the Canadian market. These categories include packaging, construction, automotive, white goods (e.g. home appliances), electronic and electrical equipment, textiles, and agriculture.

Progress to date

On June 20, 2022, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, and the Minister of Health, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, published final regulations to prohibit single-use plastics, including checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware made from or containing problematic plastics that are hard to recycle, ring carriers, stir sticks, and straws (with some exceptions).

According to a new survey released by Statistics Canada on July 19, Canadians are making progress on moving away from single-use plastics by using fewer disposable straws and relying on reusable bags, water bottles, and mugs. Nearly every surveyed household, or 97 percent, reported using their own bags or containers when grocery shopping. More than half (51 percent) said they did this all the time. Canadians are also reaching more for reusable water bottles, with nine in ten households reporting their use in 2021.

Other key elements of Canada's approach toward reducing plastic pollution include establishing performance standards to increase the use of recycled content in certain plastic products and ensuring that manufacturers, importers, and sellers of plastic products and packaging are responsible for collecting and recycling them. The Government of Canada will continue to work collaboratively with its partners to advance its zero plastic waste agenda at home and abroad, including by working with provinces and territories through the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment to implement the Canada-wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste, and Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the associated Action Plan on Zero Plastic Waste.

Internationally, building on Canada's 2018 G7 Presidency and its role as a champion of the Ocean Plastics Charter, the Government of Canada continues to advocate for the transition to a circular economy for plastics. As part of its commitment to the Ocean Plastics Charter, Canada has invested $100 million to help developing countries address plastic pollution. Furthermore, at a recent United Nations Environment Assembly meeting, Canada, along with 175 other nations, endorsed a historical resolution to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.

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SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

Kaitlin Power, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-230-1557, [email protected]; Media Relations, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free), [email protected]