During the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-4) hosted in Ottawa, the Government of Canada announced over $3.3 million in funding to support Canadian organizations developing solutions to address plastic pollution.
Nine small- and medium-sized companies will each receive up to $150,000 to develop environmentally acceptable and cost-effective solutions to help reuse plastics or improve the end-of-life management of plastic film that commonly wraps consumer items. The funding for these projects is being provided through the two latest Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenges, which have committed over $25 million to date.
More than $2 million from Environment and Climate Change Canada's funding for Advancing a Circular Economy for Plastics in Canada is going to 12 recipients for projects that will identify new opportunities, facilitate collaboration and information sharing, help reduce investment risk, and encourage the adoption of circular solutions.
The funding is part of Canada's desire to reduce plastic waste and pollution while supporting more jobs. It is also an important part of Canada's evidence-based and comprehensive plan to move toward a circular economy through a range of actions across plastics' life cycle.
"Plastics will continue to be part of the global economy, but we must all find better ways to reuse, remanufacture, or recycle them because plastic pollution knows no borders. Canada welcomes the world to Ottawa this week to negotiate a deal that will turn the tide on the plastic pollution that is literally encircling the globe. We are fully committed to ending plastic waste in Canada, but we cannot do this alone. By working together, we can create a cleaner, healthier future for everyone while keeping plastics in the economy and out of the environment," said Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
"We're investing in Canadian-made solutions because everyone plays a role in tackling plastic pollution. Small- and medium-sized businesses, non-profit organizations, researchers, and others are key partners in achieving Canada's vision of a zero plastic-waste future. The work these partners are doing will help drive innovation and mobilize solutions across the country to address real-life issues," said Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
In 2020, Canadians generated 4.9 million tonnes of plastic waste – about one percent of that entered the environment as pollution.
Plastic film and flexible plastic packaging are significant contributors to plastic waste and pollution, and the current recycling rate for all flexible plastic waste generated in Canada is below four percent – due, in part, to issues with its collection and sorting.
Plastic packaging and single-use plastics represented over 37 percent of all plastics circulating on the Canadian market in 2019. They make up over 50 percent of all plastic waste generated in Canada, but less than 14 percent are recycled.
To date, through 18 Innovative Solutions Canada Challenges, Canada has committed over $25 million to Canadian small- and medium-sized businesses to innovate and develop solutions to address plastic pollution and waste.
