Share and view ideas: Developing rules and requirements to increase recycled content in plastic products and improve the accuracy of recyclability and compostability labelling
Current status: Closed
This consultation was open from April 18, 2023 to May 18, 2023.
The Government of Canada published a regulatory framework paper on the development of proposed regulations that would set minimum recycled content requirements for certain plastic manufactured items and labelling rules to improve the accuracy of recyclability and compostability information found on plastic packaging and single-use items. Partners, stakeholders and interested members of the public were invited to provide comments.
Who was the focus of this consultation
We engaged with:
- Manufacturers and importers of plastic packaging and single-use plastics
- Brand owners and other producers
- Provinces and territories
- Municipalities
- Plastics recyclers
- Organics processors
- Waste management companies
- Producer responsibility organizations
- Non-governmental organizations
Key questions for discussion
Ideas and input were sought on:
- Collection and acceptance of plastics for recycling
- Recycled content targets, timelines, and product categories
- Alignment with other federal, provincial and territorial initiatives
- End markets
- Product scope
- Labelling requirements
- Packaging design
- Compliance methods and compliance verification
- Implementation
- Compostability standards and certification
- Definitions
What we are heard
In February 2023, we published a What we heard report which summarized the feedback received on the consultation paper: towards Canada-wide rules to strengthen recycling and composting of plastics through accurate labelling, published on July 25 2022.
Related information
The Government of Canada has a comprehensive agenda to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030. As part of this agenda, the Government is working with partners and stakeholders on a range of measures to prevent plastic pollution and improve the rate at which plastics is recovered at end-of-life and re-circulated in the Canadian economy. These measures include:
- banning harmful single-use plastics, which will prevent 22,000 tonnes of plastic pollution and 1.3 million tonnes of hard-to-recycle plastic waste over 10 years
- developing, in collaboration with provinces and territories, guidance to facilitate consistent policies that make producers responsible for recycling systems, which will improve collection and recycling infrastructure
- establishing a federal plastics registry that requires producers of plastic products to report annually on plastics in the Canadian economy
- requiring that plastic packaging in Canada contain at least 50% recycled content by 2030, in particular by developing regulations that will set minimum percentage recycled content requirements for certain items made of plastic
- introducing labelling rules that prohibit the use of the chasing-arrows symbol on plastic products unless 80% of Canada’s recycling facilities accept, and have reliable end markets for, these products, and
- addressing inaccurate degradability and compostability labeling claims for plastic products
Government of Canada delivers on commitment to ban harmful single-use plastics
Canada one-step closer to zero plastic waste by 2030
Contact us
Plastics Regulatory Affairs Division
Environment and Climate Change Canada
351 Saint-Joseph Boulevard
Gatineau QC K1A 0H3
Or
plastiques-plastics@ec.gc.ca
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