Sierra Club Canada Foundation Welcomes Single-Use Plastic Ban, National Actions on Plastic Pollution

TORONTO, Ont - Sierra Club Canada Foundation welcomes the Government of Canada's announcement of national actions to combat on plastic pollution. The federal government announced today that it would ban certain single-use plastics by 2021 and work to make plastic producers responsible for the waste they produce.

 

"The amount of plastic we are consuming and throwing away is astronomical and almost entirely preventable, and there is a groundswell of support to tackle this issue. We are delighted to see the federal government commit to a concrete timeline on banning single-use plastics," states Gretchen Fitzgerald, National Programs Director with Sierra Club Canada Foundation. “I hope we will see necessary policy changes before the fall election.”

 

Last year, Sierra Club Canada Foundation signed onto a Joint Declaration on Plastics, calling for numerous steps to reduce or eliminate plastic waste.

 

"The Great Lakes represent 20% of the world's freshwater and provide drinking water to 30 million people. Yet, 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste is dumped into this vital ecosystem each year,” states Becky Bassick, Chair of the Sierra Club’s Ontario Chapter. “Our members have taken action on plastic pollution, leading clean-ups and educating others on the importance of reducing plastic pollution through personal action. Now it's time for our federal government to step up on what is a systemic problem and reduce waste and require plastic waste producers to take responsibility for the impact of their pollution."

 

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For more information, please contact:

Gretchen Fitzgerald, National Programs Director.

902-444-7096 / gretchenf@sierraclub.ca

 

Becky Bassick, Chair, Ontario Chapter

Sierra Club Canada Foundation

ontariochapter@sierraclub.ca

Local Chapter: