A Canadian advocacy group is calling on the federal government to protect Great Lakes water from plastic pollution.
Environmental Defence, a group whose mission is to defend clean water and protect Canada's natural resources, has asked Ottawa to step up its goal of eliminating plastic pollution in Canada by 2030. The group claimed that over 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into the Great Lakes each year.
The group is observing Plastic Free July and has called for a day of action on Wednesday, July 20, for people to take to social media and call upon their MPs to expand bans on single-use plastics.
"The Great Lakes contain 84 per cent of North America’s surface water, essential for the survival of millions of people, animals and plants," said Environmental Defence Water Program Manager Michelle Woodhouse. "But the lakes are very much threatened by plastics. "The only way to save the Great Lakes from plastic pollution is to reduce plastic production altogether. We need a real plan, including stronger regulations for things like plastic pellets, which are used to manufacture plastic products and are a huge source of plastic pollution in the lakes, and further limits to the amount of single-use plastic the industry is pumping out."
The group commissioned an art piece, displayed outside Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto, illustrating the continued reliance on plastics.
An art installation called Plastic Tap is displayed outside Ripley's Aquarium of Canada in Toronto. Photo courtesy Shay Markowitz.
Environmental Defence also said that plastic pollution in the Great Lakes has surpassed that in the world's oceans.
"There are also currently no rules to address plastic production pellets which too often end up in the lakes. We can’t keep allowing the industry to set standards for itself," said Environmental Defence Plastics Program Manager Karen Wirsig.
The federal government has already finalized a ban on six single-use plastics. By the end of this year, Canadian companies will be banned from importing and manufacturing plastic bags, straws, stir sticks, and others. The sale of the items will be prohibited by the end of 2023, and exporting them will not be allowed by the end of 2025.
---with files from Miranda Chant