Ottawa to gradually eliminate plastic waste in its operations

HALIFAX — 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.

Environment and Climate Change Minister 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 “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, Que., but the U.S. 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 involve recycled materials and where waste is eliminated or reused elsewhere.