UN summit calling to end plastic pollution coming to Ottawa this week

Scientists and experts from around the world will descend on Ottawa in time for Earth Day as part of a global effort to end plastic pollution on Earth.

Scientists and experts from around the world will descend on Ottawa in time for Earth Day as part of a global effort to end plastic pollution on Earth.

The fourth of five rounds of negotiations as part of a United Nations delegation aims to develop an international legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. The summit will be taking place at the Shaw Centre starting on April 23, the day after Earth Day, to April 29.

Approximately 4,000 delegates from 175 countries are expected to attend the week-long summit.

Experts have become increasingly concerned over the impact of plastic pollution on the environment, especially on marine ecosystems. Delegates are seeking international regulations to get rid of the most toxic kinds of plastic and to decrease the levels of plastic produced and consumed globally.

"Plastic waste is something we need to get better at," said Rick Smith, president of the Canadian Climate Institute, on CFRA Live on Newstalk 580 CFRA.

"Our recycling systems are completely broken. On average across the country, only about 10 per cent of plastic is recycled – the rest winds up in the landfill or winds up in the environment."

The Organization for Economic Co-operation says global plastic production grew from 234 million tonnes in 2000 to 460 million tonnes in 2019, while plastic waste grew from 156 million tonnes to 353 million tonnes.