Keep Up the Pressure to Ban Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles

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Join us in pressuring the Federal Government to add single-use plastic water bottles to the their single-use plastic ban, starting with sending a message to the new Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, at [email protected].

Copy this letter below as a template and customize with your own words and name.  Your unique voice matters and is needed at this crucial time, and this is a simple step to reduce fossil fuels and reduce the plastic impact on the natural environment. ​ 

We also recommend phoning the minister to follow up at 613 992 6779.

You can also tweet him directly with our message by clicking here.

November 15, 2021

Hon. Steven Guilbeault
Minister of the Environment and Climate Change,

Congratulations on your appointment as Canada’s new Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. When you read this letter, you will be fresh from COP 26 in Glasgow and ready to tackle the pressing environmental challenges facing Canadians.

The Federal government has promised to ban single-use plastics by 2021. The Ottawa Water Study/Action Group (OWSAG) requests that single-use plastic bottles of water also be included in this ban. 

Why? Because in Canada, there is almost always a better available alternative.

Over decades, we have developed infrastructure to provide high quality, well regulated municipal tap water, and testing has repeatedly shown it is of equal or better quality than that of bottled water. (CBC Marketplace report on bottle water and microplastics, CBC Health on Bottled vs. Tap Water)

Corporate lobby groups claim that plastic water bottles can be recycled, however it is very difficult to do so; as a result, most plastic water bottles end up in landfill.

Why? Because it is more economical to use virgin fossil material than to recycle these plastics.

This means that plastic water bottles are a huge contributing factor to Canada's massive plastic pollution problem. In Canada, one in five Canadians drink all of their water from plastic bottles. Two billion bottles are purchased each year ( that is 5.3 million plastic water bottles per day). And despite attempts to have these recycled, 90% of these bottles end up in landfill and/or, worse, in our environment. 
 For these reasons, we at OWSAG are requesting that:

In all situations where there is a functioning municipal water supply system, the sale of plastic bottles for water be discontinued. The only exception to this ban would be when an approved water supply system is not available.

With the beginning of a new session of Parliament, now is the ideal time to add plastic water bottles to the government’s list of single-use plastics to be banned.

With all due respect,

Maryanne MacDonald, Coordinator OWSAG
Dr. Eric Schiller, OWSAG founding member
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