Why better bioplastics can’t end the plastic crisis
Plastic products made from corn, wheat stubble, and other plants could soon become more common on Canadian farms and supermarket shelves.
plastic
Bottled water sellers beware: This student is coming for you
Social justice class inspired Mireta Strandberg-Salmon's campaign to ban bottled water sales in school vending machines.
Mother rats pass plastic particles to their fetuses: study
Researchers found nanoparticles in fetal brains and hearts, but impact on human health is as yet unknown.
Proposed bill banning plastic waste exports misses ‘heart of the problem,’ MPs told
Bill C-204 seeks to halt only the export of plastic waste labelled “for final disposal,” however environmental groups note Canadian plastic is often mislabelled as recyclable and gets shipped to countries that lack the proper infrastructure to effectively recycle mixed or contaminated plastic waste.
Microwaves could be the future for plastic recycling
A Quebec-based engineer is using microwave technology to recycle plastic waste. Could his approach help cut down on the production of new plastic?
On Canada's East Coast, researchers look for plastic — and a new way to do science
Emerging research on microplastics suggests they can leak harmful chemicals into the environment. On the East Coast, one researcher is working to understand the impact of these tiny particles — and reckoning with science's colonial legacy at the same time.
Canada is drowning in plastic waste — and recycling won't save us
The federal government is calling for a new “circular economy” that would rely on massively scaling up existing recycling facilities and still-nascent recycling technologies to keep disposable plastic ubiquitous in our daily lives. But can recycling really save us?
The backroom battle between industry, Ottawa and environmentalists over plastics regulation
Canada's $28-billion plastics industry has always resisted efforts to curtail production. But with the federal government proposing a ban on certain single-use items and looking to classify plastic as toxic, the pushback has grown even greater.
Canadians want plastics ban expanded, poll finds
Abacus Data polled 1,500 people, a majority of whom want the list of banned plastics to include other commonly littered plastics products: hot and cold drink cups, cigarette filters, and all forms of polystyrene.
Recycling key to plastic crisis, says group behind new plastic ‘pact’ — but is it?
On Wednesday, a coalition of major businesses, environmental organizations, and the federal government announced a new initiative to eliminate plastic waste: the Canada Plastic Pact.
Compostable plastic is booming in Canada — but it may still end up in landfills
Bio-based plastics, most of them compostable to some degree, are proliferating across Canada. Yet millions of compostable cups, containers and bags will probably still end up in landfills. It’s a crisis driven, in part, by bad communication.
What good is a single-use plastics ban if it doesn't include water bottles?
The world is now producing half a trillion plastic water bottles every year, and only nine per cent of all plastic ever produced has been recycled.
Young Canadians are becoming vegetarian or vegan to fight climate change
Mia Kelly, 17, decided to become vegetarian after marching in last fall's climate strike in Ottawa.
Quebec expanding drink container deposit system by 2022
Quebec will expand its deposit system to include different kinds of alcohol and beverage containers in an effort to recycle more products and reduce the amount of waste going to landfills.
Did you know there's a $1.6-billion federal bailout package for Alberta's oil industry?
Canada's $1.6-billion bailout package for Alberta's battered oil industry is well underway but with little transparency about who is getting the money and for what.