05/11/2021
Did you know that at least eight million metric tons of plastic waste are being dumped into the ocean annually on a global scale?🤯 This is equivalent to a garbage truck emptying a full load of plastic waste every minute. If we continue with this projection, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish🐟
Less than 10% of plastics are recycled here in Canada each year. This means we alone contribute 3 million tons of plastic pollution. This plastic waste gets dumped into landfills or finds its way into the environment. Before the pandemic drastically changed the world, Canada was taking additional steps to ban harmful single-use plastics such as plastic bags, cutlery, and straws. The country was also taking steps towards holding companies that manufacture or use plastic products accountable for their waste.
By improving plastic waste management systems, Canada was expecting to reduce 1.8 million tons of carbon pollution, generate billions of dollars in revenue, and create thousands of new jobs. COVID-19 had other plans. The pandemic has increased the plastic pollution problem all over the world🌏
As we gain more knowledge and experience dealing with this pandemic, governments will be able to reroute their focus to passing the legislation we need to deal with plastic pollution overtaking our world.
In the meantime, we can all try do our part by limiting our use of single-use plastics at home and always recycling appropriately🤝
