(OTTAWA) – Earlier today, the federal government announced the addition of plastic manufactured items as toxic under Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). This addition is not only an important step paving the way for the single-use plastic ban promised by the federal government in 2020, but it is also sending a bold message to the plastics industry: plastic is harming the environment, and the government will not bow to industry pressure [1].

“Plastic is everywhere – in the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink. The federal government’s decision to declare plastic Toxic is commendable, and now the government should stop funding the plastics industry. There is no more time to waste on industry’s false solutions like recycling [2] and bioplastics. What we need is swift implementation of a strong ban and federal support to innovate new systems not dependent on disposables. It’s time that communities, wildlife, landscapes and waterways stop bearing the burden of plastic pollution’s harmful effects.” said Laura Yates, Plastic Campaigner at Greenpeace Canada

Listing plastic manufactured items as toxic represents an important milestone and a logical follow up to the draft science assessment on plastic pollution, which informed the federal ban on six plastic items. Greenpeace is advocating for a more comprehensive ban, including the items most commonly found in the environment such as cups and lids, bottles and caps, styrofoam, containers, wrappers and plastic cigarette filters, and also addressing the massive amount of plastic packaging that lines supermarket shelves and ends up in landfills.

Note to editors:

[1] At least 60 notices of objection have been submitted by the industry in relation to the order adding plastic manufactured items to Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA).

[2] In December 2020 Greenpeace Canada released an investigative report, Plastic Recycling, that’s not a thing, debunking the recycling myth and exposing the amount of public money supporting this industry generated fantasy.

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For more information, please contact:

Laura Bergamo, Communications officer, Greenpeace Canada

[email protected]; (438) 928-5237



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