Action Alert: I need you to act now on plastic pollution

New regulations for plastic pollution and recycling in Ontario are expected in the coming weeks - most likely in August or September.

Environmental groups have been cut out of the developing process for these regulations - not a great sign for their level of ambition. But that means it's even more important that you raise your voice directly with your elected officials to get your views heard.

As part of Plastic Free July, please join with others in our Chapter to send a strong message to Premier Ford and other major party leaders, stating that you care about reducing the waste created and making polluters responsible for this waste - not taxpayers. We also want to protect the Great Lakes by stopping the release of microplastics from waste facilities around the Lakes.

Please send and share the letter below to say YES to regulating plastic waste, job creation, saving money, and innovation in Ontario.

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

City *

Postal Code *

Province *

Country *

Ontario Provincial Riding

My Member of Provincial Parliament

My MPP's email

Message Subject *

LETTER TO THE PREMIER *

Dear Premier Ford:

I am writing today to call on you to take the following actions to reduce plastic pollution, reuse a greater amount of plastics by providing more recycling opportunities within our province, and retain plastic pollution by keeping microplastics out of our Great Lakes and drinking water.

I know that very soon the Government of Ontario will be releasing rules for recycling and reducing plastic waste and I am looking for strong regulatory action to tackle plastic pollution. Under COVID-19, some single-use plastic products have been used a lot more. We need to stop the use of this unnecessary plastic once the risk of COVID spread declines.

This can be achieved by implementing the following:

1. REDUCE: Ban styrofoam and single-use plastic products like disposable plastic bags and black plastic (which cannot be recycled).

2. REUSE: Act immediately to regulate plastic recycling and re-use through the soon-to-be-released Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act (RRCEA) framework. I urge you to establish regulatory timelines and standards for the recovery and recycling of plastic waste, shift the responsibility to polluters to collect and re-use or recycle plastic waste by establishing full Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules, and expanding recycling retrieval beyond residential waste to all sources of paper and packaging waste by 2026. We know this will save municipalities money and create jobs in the recycling sector. Structured correctly, EPR will also incentivize companies to innovate to reduce the amount of waste created in the first place - saving them money and resources.

3. RETAIN: Protecting our Great Lakes is a priority to all of us.  We know that annually, an estimated 22 million pounds or 10 million kilograms of plastic enter our Great Lakes. Plastic debris harms wildlife and fish through ingestion and entanglement; and microplastics threaten healthy drinking water for everyone around the Great Lakes. Making strong rules for waste reduction and recovery and recycling through the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act (RRCEA) will help reduce some of the plastic litter that chokes the Great Lakes - but not all of it.  I, in concert with Sierra Club members around the Great Lakes, ask that you, as part of efforts to “build back better” post-COVID-19, require wastewater treatment plants to install microplastic filtres that will help keep our drinking water and Great Lakes safe.

Reducing plastic pollution will create jobs, save taxpayer dollars, and incentivize industries and businesses to innovate. I look forward to Ontario taking clear and effective action to tackle plastic pollution in the months ahead.

Sincerely,