Saying the average Ontarian generates nearly a tonne of waste each year, the provincial government is working to establish the first Official Day of Action on Litter.
It would be May 12, 2020.
"By coming together, we can keep our environment free of litter and waste," said MPP Andrea Khanjin, the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks. "We look forward to working communities to promote environmental stewardship and bring clean-up activities to schools, neighbourhoods, and municipalities across the province."
The government acknowledges many existing clean-ups are volunteer-driven.
"More than 80 per cent of litter collected during volunteer clean-ups along the shores of the Great Lakes is plastic" read a release from the Ontario government.
A discussion paper called "Reducing Litter and Waste in Our Communities on the Environmental Registry" received close to 18,000 comments and is being reviewed by the government.
"People in Ontario are passionate about keeping our province's nature and communities litter-free, and our government will continue to support and encourage real environmental action," said Minister Jeff Yurek. "This is an opportunity for all of us to do our part to keep Ontario clean and raise awareness of the need to reduce how much waste we produce."
Ontario is also revamping the Blue Box Program to standardize what can be recycled, and address the problem of plastic pollution.