'SUP with Nova Scotia: Characterizing Nova Scotia's Single-Use Plastic Waste within the Canadian Federal Single-Use Plastic (SUP) Ban

Abstract

The use of single-use plastics (SUPs) has increased rapidly over the years, and the contribution of SUPs to global waste quantities has been rising steadily (Xanthos & Walker, 2017). In 2019 alone, Canada produced an estimated 23,587 tonnes of mismanaged plastic in 2019 (Our World in Data, n.d.). To target the most problematic SUPs, Canada implementing the Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations (SUPPR), prohibiting six SUP categories (ECCC, 2022d). This study will seek to determine how the amount of SUP waste discarded in Nova Scotia compares pre- and post-announcement of the Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations? This research conducts a secondary data analysis to gather data from managed waste sources, and mismanaged waste sources. Publicly available data is gathered from reports, online websites, and data records made available upon request. The data analysis reveals several key themes: 1) There is a lack of managed waste data; 2) SUP quantities in Nova Scotia’s waste has seen a relative decrease to other items; 3) 2020 experienced a large decrease in data availability, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper concludes by providing two key recommendations. These recommendations are to improve Nova Scotia’s managed waste tracking systems, and to conduct addition waste monitoring for an additional five years, to determine the effectiveness of the SUPPR.