Water and Plastics
With over a thousand metric tons of plastic produced globally every day, it’s not surprising that plastic waste is turning up everywhere. As our global standard of living has grown, so has the amount of plastic produced, used and discarded.
Plastics production contributes to climate change – it’s made from fossil hydrocarbons and pollutes at every stage in its lifecycle (material extraction, product production, waste disposal).
There’s a global movement to attack the mounds of plastic garbage in our marine environment but did you know it’s building up in our soil and rivers and streams too?
Read on for key facts about plastic pollution and find out what you can do to help.
Single-use plastics in our everyday life:
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
Water bottles, dispensing containers, biscuit trays
High—density polyethylene (HDPE)
Shampoo bottles, milk bottles, freezer bags, ice cream containers
Low—density polyethylene (LDPE)
Bags, trays, containers, food packaging film
Potato chip bags, microwave dishes, ice cream tubs, bottle caps
Cutlery, plates, cups
Expanded polystyrene (EPS)
Protective packaging, hot drink cups
How plastic moves from the economy to the environment
Flush me? Flush me not!
While they’re convenient, using these single-use products made of plastics and/or synthetic materials has grave environmental consequences in addition to real costs to municipal taxpayers. Concerned and informed Canadians can make a difference by refusing to buy and flush these products.
Canadians Say Politicians Need to Tackle Plastics Pollution
The electorate wants action to stop plastics pollution: 86% of Canadians want you to take more action on plastics as a way of reducing climate harmful greenhouse gases. And 8 out 10 Canadians will support you to ban production and use of single-use disposable plastic containers and packaging.