Canadians are making progress in moving away from single-use plastics by using fewer disposable straws and relying on reusable bags, water bottles and cups, according to Statistics Canada data.
The new figures come from Statistics Canada’s biennial Household and Environment Surveywhich questioned 38,000 households in 2021 on topics such as energy consumption and dangerous products used in the home.
“The Household and Environment Survey data can help reveal the progress Canadian households are making in reducing their use of single-use plastics,” a Statistics Canada spokesperson told CTVNews.ca.
The federal government will ban six common single-use plastics by the end of 2025. The incremental ban targets plastic bags, cutlery, stir sticks, straws, six-pack rings and takeout containers, with some exceptions for flexible straws to accommodate those with accessibility needs. By the end of this year, businesses in Canada will be unable to import or manufacture most of these items.
STRAWS
One in five Canadian households (20%) reported using plastic drinking straws in 2021, up from 23% in 2019. Among those households, 39% said they used four or more straws per week.
The use of plastic straws was the most common in Manitobawhere 29 percent of households reported using them, with 41 percent of them using four or more per week.
BAGS
Nearly all households surveyed, or 97 percent, reported using their own bags or containers when shopping for groceries. More than half (51 percent) said they did this all the time, up from 43 percent in 2019.
Households in Newfoundland and Labrador (89 percent), PEI (88 percent), and Nova Scotia (81 percent) were about twice as likely to report always using their own bags and containers for shopping compared to households in Saskatchewan (39 percent). percent), Ontario (41 percent), Alberta (41 percent), BC (44 percent), and Manitoba (49 percent).
WATER BOTTLES
Canadians are also looking for reusable water bottles, with nine in 10 households reporting their use in 2021. Of those, 85 per cent said they used them always or often.
Use of reusable water bottles was highest in households in Lethbridge, Alta. (97 percent), closely followed by KingstonGreater Sudbury and Thunder Bay (95 percent) in Ontario.
CUPS AND CUPS
In 2021, 86 percent of households reported drinking hot beverages outside the home, with most doing so daily or weekly. Most of these (79 percent) used a refillable mug or cup when they could, with nearly half (46 percent) saying they always or often did.
Respondents in Quebec were the least likely to report drinking hot beverages outside the home, but also the most likely to always or frequently use their own cup (52 percent).
PLASTIC WASTE
When it comes to single-use plastics, government data from 2019 shows that Canada sold 15.5 billion grocery bags, 5.8 billion straws, 4.5 billion cutlery, three billion stir sticks, 805 million takeout containers and 183 million six-pack rings.
A 2019 study by Deloitte found that less than a tenth of plastic waste in Canada was recycled, totaling 3.3 million tons of waste a year, nearly half of which was plastic packaging.
The Federal Liberals have set a goal for zero plastic waste by 2030.
In 2021, nearly all Canadian households (97%) reported using their own bags or containers when shopping. Of these households, 51% always did this, up from 43% in 2019. https://t.co/TBsK6NAJvb pic.twitter.com/8P9atEGChw
— Stats Canada (@StatCan_eng) July 18, 2022
With archives from The Canadian Press