Oceana Canada urges Canadians to go plastic-free, but recognizes that alternatives are hard to come by. The marine conservation group says plastics have a significant impact on the ocean environment and is raising awareness about finding ways to avoid consuming plastic in our everyday lives. Among the main concerns is the incineration of plastic waste, which Oceana Canada’s head of plastics campaign, Anthony Merante, calls a “false solution.” He says they want to make burning plastic waste illegal in Canada. He says about 4 per cent of Canada’s plastic waste is currently incinerated and counted as “recycling” with projections to increase to 22 per cent by 2030. The problem, says Merante, is that chemical or advanced recycling involves burning of plastic to be converted into fuel that releases pollutants into the air, water and soil. Many of these pollutants cause cancer, and most of the time, Merante says, they are in communities most at risk of exposure to these pollutants.
