Waste recycling and environmental protection concept

1325351577

Waste recycling and environmental protection concept

Photo by: Anton Petrus

Anton Petrus

Canada Bans Single-Use Plastics to Combat Climate Change

Canada is taking a conscientious step towards reducing plastic pollution. On Monday, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, and the Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, announced their move to prohibit single-use plastics which include: checkout bags, cutlery, food service made from hard-to-recycle plastics, ring carriers, stir sticks, and straws.

June 22, 2022

Through this plan, Canada would effectively ban the manufacture and importation of these harmful single-use products, stipulating exemptions for specific cases, by December 2022. In order to allow for ample transition time for businesses, the sale of the prohibited products will go into effect in December 2023.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted, “Over the next 10 years, this ban will result in the estimated elimination of over 1.3 million tonnes of plastic waste and more than equal to a million garbage bags full of litter.” This ban on single-use plastics will allow Canadians to step forward in reducing pollution and keeping their communities and shores cleaner. In a research study published by Environment and Climate Change Canada, they found that less than one-tenth of plastic packaging is recycled. These misplaced plastics will end up going to landfills, where they will sit for nearly half a century before breaking down.

While places like Chile, Kenya, the United Kingdom, and the European Union have enacted different versions of single-use plastic bans to help reduce plastic waste, Canada represents one of the most strict and comprehensive. Sarah King, Head of Greenpeace Canada’s Oceans & Plastics campaign, stated, “The release of regulations is a critical step forward, but we still aren’t even at the starting line.” King urges the Canadian government to rapidly begin the expansion of their banned list and reduce their overall plastic production. This first step by Canada sets an important precedent for other nations to begin to follow.

Next Up

Can this New AI Technology Help Us Understand the Languages of Animals?

A California-based nonprofit is searching to build an AI language that allows humans more deeply understand non-human languages to help change our ecological impact on our Earth.

Microplastics in Blood Spotlight Health Emergency from Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution is growing rapidly across Earth’s ecosystems and its threat to humanity and wildlife is too. Outcomes for health and the environment will be dire unless we tackle it, says a United Nations (UN) report. But the discovery of microplastics in human blood means urgent action is needed.

Gold Miner Discovers Mummified Baby Woolly Mammoth in Canada

A young miner struck something other than gold while digging in the permafrost of Canada’s Klondike. He stumbled across a 35,000-year-old preserved carcass of a woolly mammoth in impeccable condition.

AI Tools Help to Predict Extreme Weather and Save Lives

Predicting extreme weather events is a tricky business. Changing climate conditions have increased the frequency of severe storms, floods, and heatwaves, along with larger wildfires. As a result, scientists are using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for more accurate forecasts that help to minimize damage and save lives.

Canadian Museum Rediscovers a New Ancient Shark Species - The First of its Kind

The Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre has recently “rediscovered” an ancient shark skeleton that has been sitting in the museum’s collection for nearly 50 years. Could this shark be a part of a newly discovered ancient shark species?

Digital Twin Cities Can Shrink the Impact of Planet’s Largest Polluters

Cities are the planet’s largest emitters of greenhouse gas emissions, so they offer the greatest opportunity to tackle climate change. Hitting net zero emissions by 2050, a target set at the COP26 summit, could be achieved more quickly using city digital twins – working virtual replicas – that help track, manage and reduce environmental damage rapidly.

Mining e-Waste to Recover Precious Metals and Save the Planet

Electronic waste, or e-waste, has reached unsustainable levels. More efforts are needed to reclaim precious metals from discarded laptops and smartphones.

Could Growing Wood be Quicker and Greener Than Cutting Down Forests?

Wood is one of mankind’s most precious resources, but deforestation from logging and agricultural clearance has caused real harm to the environment.

23,000-Year-Old Human Footprints Discovered in America

Ancient human footprints found in New Mexico suggest people may have arrived in the Americas 10,000 years before scientists had previously thought.

The Chicxulub Crater, A Killer Asteroid, and an Extinction-Level Event

Core samples from the Chicxulub Crater paint a picture of the dinosaurs' last days.