Reducing the use of single-use plastics

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Consultation has concluded. 


Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are normally used only once before they are discarded. These are items like plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, coffee pods, and take out and retail food packaging.

The small and lightweight nature of many SUPs and the methods by which they are used as an "on the go" convenience means they can often are often difficult or impossible to recycle and can often end up as litter within our environment and waste in our landfills. The presence of SUPs in our environment poses significant risks to wildlife, especially in aquatic environments and is unsightly. Plastics are also derived from petroleum and the use of plastics contributes, albeit in a small way, to our collective carbon footprint.

Council has directed staff to report to the City's Environment, Infrastructure & Transportation Policies Committee regarding the current status of single use plastics management in Kingston, and options for local action to reduce litter and waste created by the use and disposal of SUPs. Ideas shared on Get Involved will be shared with Committee and Council for consideration.



Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are normally used only once before they are discarded. These are items like plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, coffee pods, and take out and retail food packaging.

The small and lightweight nature of many SUPs and the methods by which they are used as an "on the go" convenience means they can often are often difficult or impossible to recycle and can often end up as litter within our environment and waste in our landfills. The presence of SUPs in our environment poses significant risks to wildlife, especially in aquatic environments and is unsightly. Plastics are also derived from petroleum and the use of plastics contributes, albeit in a small way, to our collective carbon footprint.

Council has directed staff to report to the City's Environment, Infrastructure & Transportation Policies Committee regarding the current status of single use plastics management in Kingston, and options for local action to reduce litter and waste created by the use and disposal of SUPs. Ideas shared on Get Involved will be shared with Committee and Council for consideration.


Consultation has concluded. 
  • The Ultimate Wrap-up

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    CBC's Marketplace name's and rate's the worst plastic packaging offenders


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    Greenpeace Canada says five corporations — Nestle, Tim Hortons, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company and McDonald’s — accounted for 46 per cent of branded plastic trash collected in a recent audit. Source: Global News

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    If plastic had been invented when the Pilgrims sailed from Plymouth, England, to North America—and the Mayflower had been stocked with bottled water and plastic-wrapped snacks—their plastic trash would likely still be around, four centuries later. Source: National Geographic

  • Plastic pollution crisis: How waste ends up in our oceans

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    It’s a plastic ocean out there. Beaches throughout South East Asia are closing and whales are being found dead with a belly full of plastic. Source: Global News.

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    Of all the plastic the world throws away, half of it is just packaging. About 150 million tonnes of bottles, bags, cigarette butts, coffee lids, straws, Styrofoam containers and more all wind up being thrown out. Tonnes of that petroleum-based waste makes its way into the ocean, putting the marine environment and species at risk. Source: CBC news.