Fighting Plastic Waste and Litter

Litter is not just unsightly – plastic waste can be downright dangerous and even deadly to wildlife and to ecosystems. Local cleanups can help, but to make headway, we need to tackle litter at the source. One way is to cut back on single use plastics. Right now, the Ontario government is asking for public input on reducing litter and waste. See below for the comment link, and for suggestions on what to ask for. Make sure to submit your comments by April 20.

To learn more:

Here are some ways you can voice your opinion:

TEA’s summary

A plastics solution for Ontario needs to focus on reduction and must:

  • Ban the top problem plastics now, and phase in bans for other single-use items
  • Pass rules to make producers responsible for recycling the products and packaging they sell
  • Use deposit systems to collect plastics, like drink containers, and keep them out of the environment
  • Never burn plastics and call that diversion. Thermal treatment is an expensive and toxic form of disposal that undermines a circular economy.

Toronto Field Naturalists wishes to acknowledge this Land through which we walk. For thousands of years, the Land has been shared by the Wendat, the Haudenosaunee, and the Anishinaabe. Toronto is situated on the Land within the Toronto Purchase, Treaty 13, the traditional and treaty Lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. This territory is also part of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum, a covenant agreement between Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Wendat peoples and allied nations to peaceably share the land and all its resources. Today, the Land is home to peoples of numerous nations. We are all grateful to have the opportunity to continue to care for and share the beauty of this Land.