As plastic continues to be a scourge in the fight against climate change, the Ministry of the Environment wants to set up a federal register to monitor the cycle of plastics, from production to their end of life.
Canadians threw away 4.4 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2019, of which only 9% was recycled. Plastic causes harm to natural spaces and the wildlife they support.
As part of Canada’s overall plan to reduce plastic pollution and waste, the government has launched a consultation on the creation of a federal plastics registry. The consultation, which targets local governments, businesses or any interested parties, is being held online until February 13.
“The registry would require producers to report annually on the quantity and types of plastic they put on the Canadian market, how that plastic circulates in the economy and how it is managed at the end of its life », Explains a press release from the Ministry of the Environment published on Tuesday.
The data collected would make it possible to follow the path of plastic in the economy. The government could thus better target the measures it must put in place in order to achieve its zero waste objective.
The proposed federal plastics registry would also collect and report data on major categories of plastic-containing products, such as packaging, building materials, major household appliances, textiles, and fishing and agriculture.
“The federal plastics registry is an important tool that will make it possible to track and manage plastics throughout the economy,” said Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault in a press release. It will help provinces and territories hold producers accountable for their end-of-life plastic waste and help move Canada toward a circular plastics economy. »
The government’s public consultation aims to hear from the parties involved, among other things, on the information to be declared, the confidentiality of the information and the implementation deadlines.
The registry would make information accessible to all Canadians and all businesses via a new reporting platform, specifies the Ministry of the Environment. It would complement reporting requirements already in force, such as those established by provincial and territorial producer responsibility programs.
In July 2022, the Government of Canada published a first consultation document, and in April 2023, a technical document on the registry.