Policy changes are needed in order to reduce the amount of single-use plastics that end up in the oceans.
That’s according to Oceana, which says micro-plastics in the world’s oceans is a growing problem that must be addressed.
Despite our relatively small population, Canadians are huge consumers of throw-away plastics says executive director Josh Laughren.
“We only recycle nine per cent of the plastic that we consume here in Canada,” says Laughren. Most packaging is intended for just a few minutes’ use, yet plastics can last for hundreds of years. That plastic then breaks down into smaller pieces of plastic which get into the ocean and are consumed by plankton, fish, and then us.
Laughren admits, despite plastic bag bans, Canadians are presented with few options for single-use plastics, which is why policies need to be put in place.
He says the answer is not with consumers, but with industry and government policy.