StopPlastics’ Asks/Demands

Time for Toronto to Ban More than 6 Single-Use Plastics

Dear City Councillors and Mayor John Tory:

Demand for single-use plastics is destroying our environment, harming our health and exacerbating waste and recycling issues in Toronto. I strongly urge you, as my elected representative, to BAN all non- essential plastics beginning with those identified to be priority single-use plastics as determined by City of Toronto consultations.

We urge you: 

          To immediately ban all items the City determined to be of high and medium priority in the recommendations proffered by the consultant Strategy Matters its report “Technical Memorandum No.1 – Single-use and Takeaway Reduction Strategies” commissioned by City staff ie:

  • Plastic bags (all weights and types)
  • Cold cups and lids
  • Plastic bottles and caps
  • Plastic straws
  • Plastic cutlery
  • Single-use EPS, which includes cups, clamshells and plates
  • Plastic food containers
  • Hot cups
  • Black plastic
  • Condiment packets

and to devise an effective clean-up strategy to address the build-up of plastic pollution found on Toronto streets, in its parks, lakes, beaches and river watersheds.

If the City of Toronto is committed to zero waste and reducing the effects of single-use and takeaway items on our environment, Toronto MUST say NO to destructive single-use plastics NOW, regardless of the actions of the provincial and federal governments.

We look forward to IMMEDIATE BANS on unnecessary single-use plastics!