International Plastic Bag Free Day 2025

Observed every July 3rd, International Plastic Bag Free Day is a highlight of Plastic Free July—a global campaign that engaged over 100 million people across more than 190 countries in 2024, raising awareness of plastic pollution and urging participants to cut or eliminate single‑use plastics.

First held in 2009 as part of the Break Free from Plastic movement, it now champions the reduction—and eventual elimination—of single‑use plastic bags in favour of reusable alternatives. Each year, 11 million metric tonnes of plastic enter our oceans, adding to the 200 million tonnes already circulating, choking marine life, infiltrating food chains, and contaminating habitats. In Canada, 4.4 million tonnes of plastic are discarded every year—the weight of 31 blue whales. Plastic bags, one of the most pervasive single-use plastics, take centuries to break down and are major culprits of this crisis.

Sierra Club Canada helped secure Canada’s single‑use bag bans, led by our Ontario Chapter’s work on ocean plastic pollution. Through our Problem With Plastics Project, we’ve kept plastic pollution on government and industry agendas, pushing for a shift from throwaway culture to a circular economy with stronger plastics policies.

After years of advocacy—from letters and petitions to social campaigns—Canada banned six single‑use plastic items, later extending the ban to exports. By July 2023, our efforts helped stop over 1.3 million tonnes of plastic waste annually in Canada. Further, our 145+ volunteers organized picnics, cleanups, and social‑media campaigns, and helped generate 10,000+ engagements on social media to hold Big Plastic accountable. In Toronto alone, a first-ever joint land‑and‑water cleanup with 67 volunteers removed 180 cubic feet of litter—much of it plastic.

Thanks to your support, we’re able to raise awareness, shape policy, and mobilize local action across Canada.

Join us today by saying NO to single‑use plastic bags and YES to reusable options. Let’s cultivate real change—today and every day!

And consider becoming a member of Sierra Club Canada to help increase your impact.

Article by Melody Li.