GETTING PLASTICS RIGHT Modern and Sustainable Solutions Additional Resources FAQ Blog Media FR Plastics enable our modern way of life, and we’re committed to working towards a world where plastic never becomes waste. Ending Plastic Waste We need smart solutions to eliminate plastic waste that focus on recycling and recovering plastics. Governments of all levels must continue to work with industry to support these innovative solutions rather than introducing blanket bans. Leading the Way to Zero Waste We can do better to eliminate plastic waste: Today in Canada, 86% of plastics end up in landfills. This is due to issues with sorting, cleaning plastics prior to recycling and adopting the technologies and infrastructure we need to truly make a difference in eliminating plastic waste Plastic waste costs us billions of dollars. By not recovering plastic materials, we’ve wasted $7.8 billion per year. By 2030, that amount will be $11.1 billion. Canada can become a leader in plastics recycling and grow our economy. Many provinces don’t have standard recycling programs, leading to confusion among different municipalities and decreasing the amount of plastics recycled. We need harmonized recycling systems across jurisdictions. One piece of plastic waste in the environment is one too many. Canada’s plastics industry is committed to solving the plastic waste problem and has set a goal to make 100% of plastic packaging recyclable or recoverable by 2030 and embracing advanced recycling technologies to make plastics packaging 100% recovered and recycled by 2040. By making plastics completely recyclable and transforming waste into new plastic items and other products, we can help Canada realize its goal of zero plastic waste. Recycling Recovering Canada Needs a Circular Economy of Plastics Coordinated and collaborative waste strategy Instead of banning specific products, governments at all levels must continue to collaborate with businesses, scientists and industry leaders to create further innovative solutions that will deliver a waste free future to Canada. This collaboration and the innovation that comes from it will create additional jobs and opportunities. We can work towards a harmonized waste strategy by supporting policies that foster a circular economy for plastics. This approach would move Canadians away from using plastics and simply discarding them. Instead, a circular economy for plastics supports recycling plastics and transforming them into new products and supports the direction set out in the Action Plan on Zero Plastic Waste developed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME). Under this joint Federal and Provincial strategy, Canada would move towards a zero plastic waste economy, creating 42,000 jobs and saving $500 million annually. More Resources The Role of Chemistry in a Circular Economy Circular Economy Infographic #comp-jy8ltkmm svg [data-color="1"] {fill: #F89128;} Combatting plastic waste with US$1B investment #comp-jy8tsnp0 svg [data-color="1"] {fill: #F89128;} Making strides to tackle plastic waste Chemistry Industry Association of Canada 45 O’Connor Street, Suite 1240 Ottawa, ON K1P 1A4