Evaluating Canada's single-use plastic mitigation policies via brand audit and beach cleanup data to reduce plastic pollution

Lisa Baxter, Zoe Lucas, Tony R. Walker

Résultat de recherche: Articleexamen par les pairs

32 Citations (Scopus)

Résumé

Single-use plastics (SUPs) represent a major threat to marine environments and require proactive policies to reduce consumption and mismanagement. Many SUP management strategies exist to reduce SUP use and mitigate environmental impacts, including extended producer responsibility (EPR), deposit-return schemes, SUP bans or taxes, and public outreach and education. This study analyzed brand audit and beach cleanup data in four densely populated Canadian cities (Vancouver, Toronto, Montréal, Halifax) and a remote island (Sable Island) to determine efficacy of ongoing SUP mitigation measures. Cities were found to have similar litter type proportions, and six brands were found to disproportionally contribute to Canadian SUP litter, comprising 39% of branded litter collected. Results confirm that current Canadian SUP management appears to be insufficient to address leakage of SUPs into the environment. Recommendations to strengthen SUP management strategies and mitigate plastic pollution are recommended to improve future Canadian SUP reduction policies.

Langue d'origineEnglish
Numéro d'article113460
JournalMarine Pollution Bulletin
Volume176
DOI
Statut de publicationPublished - mars 2022

Note bibliographique

Funding Information:
This study was made possible by data collected by the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, Greenpeace Canada, and the Sable Island Institute. This study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Grant/Award Number: RGPIN-2018-04119 to Tony R. Walker. Special thanks to the Sobey Fund for Oceans, Marine Affairs program, and Sarah Saunders.

Funding Information:
This study was made possible by data collected by the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, Greenpeace Canada, and the Sable Island Institute. This study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Grant/Award Number: RGPIN-2018-04119 to Tony R. Walker. Special thanks to the Sobey Fund for Oceans, Marine Affairs program, and Sarah Saunders.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Oceanography
  • Aquatic Science
  • Pollution

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article

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