Plastic pollution

Plastic pollution is considered to be plastic that is discarded, disposed of, or abandoned in the environment.

In an environmental context, plastics are often categorized by size, with macroplastics being larger than 5 millimetres (mm) and microplastics being less than or equal to 5 mm.

• Timelines
• Federal Plastics Registry
  • Section 46 notice
  • Technical paper
  • Consultations
• Pollution prevention planning notice
• Regulations
  • Single-use plastics
  • Recyclability and compostability labelling rules for plastics
  • Recycled content requirements for plastics
• Discussion paper on a proposed integrated management approach to plastic products to prevent waste and pollution
• Adding substances to Schedule 1
• Science assessment of plastic pollution
• Related information

Timelines

Federal Plastics Registry

Section 46 notice

On April 20, 2024, Environment and Climate Change Canada published, a section 46 notice for the Federal Plastics Registry to create an inventory of data in the Canada Gazette, Part I. The goal of the registry is to collect information to support actions to prevent plastic pollution, helping to keep plastics in the economy and out of the environment. The section 46 notice requires companies (including resin manufacturers, service providers and producers of plastic products) to provide the Minister of the Environment with information about the lifecycle of plastics in Canada. Through the notice, we are looking to collect information on a large sector of the economy and provide people in Canada with meaningful and standardized data on plastic from production to end-of-life, across the country, that can inform and measure actions to prevent plastic pollution.

On December 30, 2023, Environment and Climate Change Canada published a notice of intent to issue a notice under section 46 of CEPA with respect to reporting of certain plastic manufactured items for 2024, 2025, and 2026 in the Canada Gazette, Part I for a 45-day public comment period (ended on February 13, 2024). The notice of intent provided a draft of the section 46 notice for the Federal Plastics Registry to gather feedback on the reporting requirements for the registry.

Technical Paper

In April 2023, Environment and Climate Change Canada published the Technical paper: Federal Plastics Registry for a 30-day consultation period that ended on May 18, 2023. The paper outlines the technical details and reporting requirements being considered for the Federal Plastics Registry. The document has taken into account the significant feedback received from partners, stakeholders and the public during consultations.

Consultations

In July 2022, the Government of Canada published the Consultation paper: a proposed federal plastics registry for the producers of plastic products for a consultation period, that ended on October 7, 2022. The paper provided stakeholders with the opportunity to provide input on how the Government of Canada could establish a federal plastics registry and require producers of plastic products to report on plastics in the Canadian economy.

In February 2023, a what we heard report was published that summarizes the feedback received on the consultation paper.

Pollution prevention planning notice

In August 2023, Environment and Climate Change Canada published the Consultation document - Pollution prevention planning notice for primary food plastic packaging: Targets for reduction, reuse, redesign, and recycled content for a 30-day consultation period that ended on August 30, 2023.

Regulations

Single-use plastics

In June 2022, Environment and Climate Change Canada published the Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations in the Canada Gazette, Part II: Vol. 156, No. 13 – June 22, 2022. These regulations prohibit the manufacture, import, and sale of 6 categories of single-use plastics: checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware made from or containing problematic plastics, ring carriers, stir sticks and straws. These regulations also provide exemptions for flexible single-use plastic straws to accommodate people who require them for health or accessibility reasons.

To assist stakeholders with the new regulations, Environment and Climate Change Canada published 2 guidance documents:

• Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations – Guidance for selecting alternatives, developed to help businesses and other organizations make decisions on alternative products or systems that prevent pollution and help Canada transition to a circular economy
• Single-use Plastics Prohibitions Regulations - Technical guidelines developed to provide information about the requirements of the regulations

In December 2021, the proposed Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations were published in the Canada Gazette, Part I: Vol. 155, No. 52 – December 25, 2021 for a 70-day public comment period. A draft of the Guidance for Selecting Alternatives to the Single-use Plastics in the Proposed Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations was also published for a 70-day comment period. Several notices of objection and requests for the establishment of a board of review were received following the publication of the proposed regulations. Responses to these notices have been published. A summary table of public comments received on the proposed regulations has also been published.

In October 2020, Environment and Climate Change Canada published a Discussion paper: proposed integrated management approach to plastic products to prevent waste and pollution for a 60-day consultation period.

The discussion paper presented a comprehensive approach for managing plastics. In August 2021, a what we heard report was published that summarizes the feedback received on the discussion paper via written comments, webinars, and stakeholder discussion sessions.

For more information on plastics, visit the Plastic waste and pollution reduction web page.

Recyclability and compostability labelling rules for plastics

In April 2023, Environment and Climate Change Canada published the Recycled content and labelling rules for plastics: Regulatory framework paper for a 30-day public comment period that ended on May 18, 2023. The document outlines a regulatory framework for plastic packaging and certain single-use plastics that includes recycled content requirements and labelling rules for recyclability and compostability.

In July 2022, Environment and Climate Change Canada published the Consultation paper: Towards Canada-wide rules to strengthen recycling and composting of plastics through accurate labelling for a consultation period that ended on October 7, 2022. The paper provided stakeholders with the opportunity to provide input on how the Government of Canada could introduce rules to improve the accuracy of recyclability and compostability labelling for plastics. In February 2023, a what we heard report was published that summarizes the feedback received on the consultation paper.

Recycled content requirements for plastics

In February 2022, Environment and Climate Change Canada published a notice of intent on the development of proposed regulations that would set minimum recycled content requirements for certain plastic manufactured items in the Canada Gazette, Part I, Vol. 156, No. 7 – February 12, 2022 for a 30-day public comment period.

A technical issues paper, Recycled content for certain plastic manufactured items regulations, was also published for a 30-day public comment period.

Discussion paper on a proposed integrated management approach to plastic products to prevent waste and pollution

In October 2020, Environment and Climate Change Canada published a discussion paper: A proposed integrated management approach to plastic products to prevent waste and pollution for a 60-day public comment period. In August 2021, a what we heard report was published that summarizes the feedback received on the discussion paper via written comments, webinars, and stakeholder discussion sessions.

Adding substances to Schedule 1

Plastic manufactured items have been added to Schedule 1.

• Final order adding plastic manufactured items: Canada Gazette, Part II: Vol. 155, No. 10 - May 12, 2021.

Several notices of objection and requests for the establishment of a board of review were received following the publication of the proposed order. Responses to these notices have been published. A summary table of public comments received on the proposed order has also been published.

Science assessment of plastic pollution

In February 2020, the Draft Science Assessment of Plastic Pollution was released and the related notice was published in the Canada Gazette, Part I: Vol. 154, No. 5 - February 1, 2020 for a 90-day public comment period.

In October 2020, the Science Assessment of Plastic Pollution was released and the related notice was published in the Canada Gazette, Part I: Vol. 154, No. 4 - October 10, 2020. A summary table of public comments received on the draft science assessment has also been published.

The science assessment provides a review of the available information on plastic pollution, including its sources, occurrence, and fate, as well as on the potential effects of plastics on the environment and human health. The science assessment found plastic pollution to be ubiquitous in all major compartments of the environment due to the improper management of plastic waste, leading to negative impacts on the environment and recommended action to reduce the presence of plastic pollution in the environment, in accordance with the precautionary principle as defined in section 2 of CEPA. This includes addressing the improper management of end-of-life plastics and pursuing strategies to reduce the impact of plastic pollution on the environment and human health.

Related information

• Ocean Plastics Charter
• Plastics initiatives and regulations
• Microbeads in Toiletries Regulations
• Canada's Zero Plastic Waste Agenda
• Plastic waste and pollution reduction
• Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenge
• Canada-wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste and Action Plan