April 18, 2018

SumOfUs Urges Canada to Take Global Leadership Role in Tackling Plastic Waste Pollution

CANADA -- More than 58,000 Canadians have signed onto a new petition from SumOfUs, an international consumer group, as well as The Ocean Legacy Foundation and Surfrider Pacific Rim, urging members of the Canadian Parliament to support Motion M-151, legislation recommending a national strategy to reduce plastic product pollution from bags, bottles and straws and protect Canada’s waterways. The motion, introduced by Courtenay-Alberni NDP MP Gord Johns, would force corporations that have relied on cheap disposable plastic products to clean up their act - and would go a long way to protecting marine wildlife most impacted by plastic ocean pollution.

VIEW THE PETITION HERE: https://actions.sumofus.org/a/tell-canada-to-support-anti-plastics-bill-m-151

According to SumOfUs, corporations like McDonald’s and Nestlé are major contributors to single-use plastic pollution but have yet to heed the call to stop using plastics. SumOfUs argues that as Canada moves to position itself as a global leader in combating the plastic waste crisis, it needs a strong policy to ensure that plastic pollution is stopped at the source, including targeting the wasteful products of these companies. Every year plastic kills one million seabirds and 100,000 marine animals such as sea turtles, whale, dolphins, and seals.

“Canadians toss out a massive amount of plastic every year, including almost 3 billion plastic bags. Much of this plastic ends up in the ocean where it causes serious harm to marine animals: straws stuck up sea turtles nostrils, plastic debris starving seabirds and tiny microplastics entering the food chain,” explained Amelia Meister, Campaign Consultant at SumOfUs “Motion M-151 would help tackle plastic pollution at its source, especially targeting single-use plastics, and provide much-needed funding for shoreline and ocean clean-up.”

SumOfUs has been working to combat oceans plastics. More than 385,000 SumOfUs signed a petition calling on McDonald’s to ban the use of straws and McDonald’s recently announced plans to phase out plastic straws in the UK.