Zero-waste consultations announced for fall: labelling rules and federal plastics registry for producers

Ottawa – The Canadian government is launching two consultations in support of its Zero Plastic Waste Agenda:

1) The development of labelling rules for recyclability and compostability (for example, the use of the “chasing arrows”).
2) The development of a federal plastics registry for producers of plastic products.

The government said these measures will help improve the collection and end-of-life management (for example, reuse, recycling) of plastics and help keep these products out of our landfills and environment.

New labelling rules would prohibit the use of the chasing-arrows symbol and other recyclability claims on plastic products unless at least 80 per cent of Canadians have access to recycling systems that accept and have reliable end markets for them. This will help ensure that plastic products can be reprocessed and reintroduced to the market as part of a circular economy.

Additionally, to help prevent contamination from unwanted products in recycling and composting facilities, the government also intends to regulate the use of terms such as “compostable,” “degradable,” and “biodegradable” in the labelling of plastic packaging and single-use items.

The government is developing a registry that would require producers to report annually on plastics in the Canadian economy. The federal plastics registry would collect data on the life cycle of plastics in Canada by requiring companies to report on the quantity of plastic products they place on the Canadian market and how these products are diverted from landfills at the end of their lives.

The consultations will be open until Oct. 7, 2022.

A draft regulatory text for labelling rules is targeted for publication in mid-2023.