Ottawa to gradually eliminate plastic waste in operations

Ottawa used the platform of a G7 ministers meeting Thursday to announce it will gradually eliminate most plastic waste from government operations, as corporate leaders spoke of how they’re eager to turn waste into profitable material.

Catherine McKenna said at the Halifax gathering that the federal government will ditch unnecessary plastics throughout its operations.

“We’re going to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastics throughout government operations. So this includes straws, cutlery, packaging, cups, bottles,” McKenna said.

She said Ottawa aims to collect, reuse or recycle at least 75 per cent of its plastic waste by 2030.

Meanwhile, the CEOs of a group of large companies said they’ll sign the ocean plastics charter that Canada has been promoting.

The Canadian-led plastic charter’s provisions call for national governments to set standards for increasing the reuse and recycling of plastics rather than trashing them.

It also calls for businesses to take responsibility for production methods that eliminate waste — an approach referred to as Canadian Environment Minister Catherine McKenna and Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson field questions at a news conference as the G7 environment, oceans and energy ministers meet in Halifax on Thursday.

“extended producer responsibility.”

Five of the seven G7 nations and the European Union signed on to the Charter at the recent G7 leaders summit in Charlevoix, but the United States and Japan still haven’t endorsed it.

In addition, on Thursday a group of companies and nongovernment groups announced a coalition dedicated to finding ways to use plastic rather than throwing it away.

Unilever Canada, Walmart Canada, Ikea Canada and Loblaw were among firms joining with non-governmental groups to support the Circular Economy Leadership Coalition. The term circular economy refers to manufacturing processes that involves recycled materials and waste is eliminated or reused elsewhere.

Some firms, including Ikea, have already promised to eliminate single-use plastic products from its shelves by 2020, including

straws, plates, cups, freezer bags, garbage bags and plasticcoated paper plates and cups.

There have been a wide array of corporate anti-plastic pledges in recent months: hotels including the Marriott and Holiday Inn Express have dumped their complimentary tiny shampoo and conditioner bottles in favour of larger containers that are attached to the bathroom wall.

Montreal became the largest

Canadian municipality to ban single-use plastic bags this week, and Prince Edward Island is gearing up to become to the first province to do the same.

Paul Polman, the chief executive of Dutch-British multinational Unilever — a massive consumer products firm — attended the morning session of the G7 meeting and told the ministers those that haven’t signed on are falling behind a world trend led by consumers.