Book Report

Instructor – Gunjeet Aurora Mehta

Course- GED125-203 Government Relations
Student name- Gagandeep Singh
Student id- A00129450
Following is the article published by Kenneth P. Green on the Zero Plastic Waste 2030 Campaign
which aims at reducing plastic waste to zero in Canada by 2030. This study has focused on the
environmental as well as economic impacts the Campaign will have and what other options the
policymakers should opt for.

The name of the program indicates that it will helpful for the environment by reducing plastic waste
but the reality is completely different because the change it will produce is undetectable as Canada
is only releasing just 1% of its plastic into the environment. The government of Canada launched a
regulatory campaign against plastic waste, Zero-Plastic Waste 2030 (ZPW2030), in 2021, which aims
to impose costs on Canadian society exceeding projected benefitsThe Regulation Impact Assessment
conducted by the government predicts that by 2030, plastic pollution and trash could both rise by
around one-third. The proposed Regulations are anticipated to result in an increase in the amount of
waste produced from substitutes of 298,054 tonnes in the first year of full policy stringency (2024)
and approximately 3.2 million tonnes over the analytical period (2023 to 2032). Nearly all of this
increase will be caused by paper substitutes. This policy may have unintended consequences and fall
short of the "First, do no harm" rule, which is a crucial component of sensible public health and
environmental policy. According to the government's Regulatory Impact Study, The proposed single-
use plastics regulations will cost money around CA$1.3 billion—will overshadow the benefits of the
program which is $619 million by nearly 2:1

Deloitte estimates that the government estimated the total ZPW2030 regime to bring an estimated
benefit of up to CA$ 10.5 billion, and the cost for setup will be around CA$ 8.7 billion and it will
ultimately be borne by consumers. The annual cost of the project is predicted to exceed the benefits
by CA$ 300 million yearly. The wise move here for Canada’s government is to focus on the disposal
of plastic waste and don’t need to continue such an expensive plan because Canada is already
contributing a very minimal amount to global plastic waste.

After carefully observing this study, it seems that Zero Plastic Waste 2030 does not stand much on
the motive it states. On the other hand, it is going to create a lot of extra charges for the
government as well as the taxpayers not only at the time of Initial investments but at the ending
phases. It may reduce plastic waste but definitely going to increase the waste amount of substitutes
used.

Ultimately, Zero Plastic Waste 2030 is not worth the amount it is consuming. The policymakers
should consider other options over this. It should be kept in mind that Canada is already having an
undetectable share in Global waste. They should focus more on the ways of Plastic disposal rather
than eliminating plastic.