As Jamaica starts levying fines on businesses handing out plastic bags and straws at the end of month, Canadian governments from Newfoundland to Nanaimo are mulling over bag prohibitions of their own. Federally, the NDP is now calling for regs outlawing single-use plastics by 2022. When it comes to combating plastic pollution, Canada’s National Zero Plastic Waste Strategy "totally ignores the role that bans must play in tackling this global crisis," says Sarah King, head of Greenpeace Canada’s Oceans & Plastics Campaign. Perhaps some compelling stats on our plastic-engulfed planet could persuade Canada's environment minister?
Compiled by Sarah Landstreet and Maggie Arai of Georgette Packaging
Illustration by Kyle Metcalf