Articles

What is it? 

Canadians throw away a shocking 4.4 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, but only about eight per cent of that is recycled. Instead, roughly 91 per cent of plastic waste ends up as landfill, while about one per cent ends up as water and environmental pollution. Like other sectors, the food industry relies on plastic, in many different forms, for a variety of uses, from component parts in machinery, to single-use testing products, through to primary and secondary packaging, and end user products such as bags, straws and utensils. 

Now consumers and government are calling on food manufacturers, grocers and foodservice operators to help cut plastic waste by eliminating single-use plastics and unnecessary plastic packaging when safe to do so. 

Why you should care 

The federal government has committed to reaching a goal of zero plastic waste by 2030, beginning by banning single-use plastics. The Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations come into effect beginning in December 2022, with staggered deadlines until June 2024, and will prohibit the manufacture, import and sale of six single-use plastic items: plastic checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware containing problematic plastics, ring carriers, stir sticks, and straws (single-use plastic flexible straws can remain available, under certain conditions, for people who need them). 

Where to start 

For food industry operators unsure of how to begin the process of moving away from single-use plastic products, the federal government has developed Guidance for selecting alternatives to the single-use plastics in the proposed Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations. 

In addition, to help address concerns around recycling programs, the government has launched two consultations to develop rules for recyclability and compostability labelling, and to establish a federal plastics registry for producers of plastic products.  

CFIN’s plastics coverage 

Over the next few weeks we’ll be taking a closer look at plastics in the food industry, and how operators can begin to transition away from their use. Watch for articles and videos on: 

• The circular economy 
• Accessing funding for non-plastic packaging 
• Finding packaging partners 

• Innovation and R&D in plastic alternatives 
• Recyclable plastics 
• New packaging materials 
• CFIN’s exclusive member survey on plastics use