Plastic litter is polluting our rivers, lakes, and oceans, harming the wildlife that call those places home and generating micro and macroplastics in the water we use.
Canadians expect the Government of Canada to address plastic waste in their communities. That’s why the Government has a comprehensive plan to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030, including a ban on certain harmful single-use plastics.
MP Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, has announced the four winners of the latest Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenges.
“The Government of Canada is pleased to support made-in-Canada solutions to plastic waste and pollution,” Wilkinson said. “Small businesses are key partners in achieving Canada’s vision of a zero-plastic-waste future by 2030. By working together, we can create a cleaner future, while growing the economy and creating good jobs.”
These small and medium-sized Canadian companies will each receive up to $150,000 toward developing their solutions to address plastic waste.
The following companies are receiving funding to develop their proof of concept:
- Magemi Mining Inc., in Markham, is developing a durable recycled paper to serve as a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging like grocery bags.
- CACITH Inc., in Montréal, is creating a network of recyclers to quantify textile waste and find new markets for otherwise wasted materials.
- Met-Tech Inc., in Burlington is developing a low-cost process to recycle more textile waste such as clothing.
- Singular Solutions Inc., in North York, is developing a biosustainable additive that will cause plastic textile waste to biodegrade in long-term-composting landfill facilities.
The Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenges are part of the Innovative Solutions Canada program. The Challenges target plastics sectors that generate some of the greatest quantities of plastic waste and show the greatest opportunity for impact and innovation.
These challenges are part of the federal government’s commitments to reduce plastic waste, while growing the economy and creating good jobs.
Every year, Canadians throw away three million tonnes of plastic waste, the equivalent of throwing away about 570 full garbage bags every minute. Only nine percent of that waste is recycled, which means the vast majority of plastic waste ends up in landfills, and about 29,000 tonnes finds its way into our natural environment annually.
By improving how we manage plastic waste, we can reduce 1.8 megatonnes of carbon pollution per year, generate billions of dollars in revenue, and create approximately 42,000 jobs.
