Beat Plastic Pollution – Protect Nature Challenge

Canadians throw away over three million tonnes of plastic waste every year. That’s as heavy as 25,000 blue whales! Only 9 percent is recycled while the rest ends up in our landfills, waste-to-energy facilities or the environment.

Plastic waste and marine litter threaten the health of our environment including our wildlife, rivers, lakes and oceans.

Join us in reducing plastic pollution and reaching our vision of a future with zero plastic waste.

Here are eight tips on reducing your plastic waste:

  1. Use reusable products like mugs, food containers and shopping bags
  2. Refuse single-use cutlery, straws and individual packets when ordering food
  3. Many products containing plastic microbeads, such as cleansers and toothpaste, are now banned in Canada. Avoid purchasing them from elsewhere since they are toxic to waterways, wildlife and people
  4. Use your purchasing power to buy products that can be reused, repaired or repurposed
  5. Support businesses that are reducing their plastic footprint
  6. Learn about what can be recycled in your municipality
  7. Wash and reuse plastic containers and resealable plastic bags
  8. Organize or join a clean-up project in your community, such as the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup

Find out more about Canada’s path toward zero plastic waste.

Learn more about plastics in our oceans and take the #BePlasticWise pledge.

Let’s do this together

Share these challenges with your friends and family and show us what you are doing by tagging us in your social media messages and by using the hashtag #ProtectNature.

We’re on Instagram @canenvironment, Facebook @EnvironmentandClimateChange and Twitter @environmentca.

Need inspiration?

Check out our list of challenges to help protect nature.

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