On Wednesday, Oct. 3, it was announced that Peel Region’s Waste Management strategic advisory committee supports a provincewide single-use plastic strategy and discussion.

Discussions to reduce the use of single-use plastics would involve the province, the Retail Council of Canada and other stakeholders.

“The Region of Peel will gladly participate in a conversation around the creation of a provincewide, single-use plastics reduction strategy,” said regional chair Nando Iannicca, in a release.

“This decision is in-line with regional council’s earlier support for a provincial plastics strategy to reduce waste and keep plastics out of the environment.”

Single-use plastics include; grocery bags, disposable cutlery, plates and straws.

The announcement comes hours after the Retail Council of Canada penned an open letter to Minister Jeff Yurek, Minister of The Environment, Conservation and Parks.

The letter called for a “harmonized approach to single-use plastics.”

According to Norman Lee, director of waste management, single-use plastics are a concern for Peel residents as they create litter and can be hard to process in waste facilities.

According to a provincial discussion paper on the topic of reducing litter and waste in communities, around 10,000 tonnes of plastic garbage enter the Great Lakes each year.

The paper, which was published in March 2019, also stated that around 80 per cent of garbage collected from Great Lake shore cleanups is plastic.