Canadians a trashy bunch

Photo: The Canadian Press

An extensive report by the three countries in the North American Free Trade Agreement says the amount of waste Canadians generate continues to increase.

The Council on Environmental Co-operation concludes that Canada has no co-ordinated way to deal with organic waste created every day in households across the country.

Study author Douglas Donaldson says that lack of standardization makes it harder to create markets for products generated from recycled waste.

He says doing a better job on waste would reduce how much tax money is spent on landfills and increase farmland productivity.

Donaldson says it could also help Canada cut a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

Canada plans to make plastic waste reduction a major focus of its presidency of the G7.