SWANA Joins Forces with Canada Plastics Pact

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) is excited to announce its membership in the Canada Plastics Pact. "We are delighted to collaborate with the Canada Plastics Pact in our mutual goal of preventing plastic waste," said SWANA Executive Director & CEO Amy Lestition Burke, MA, FASAE, CAE. "As an organization devoted to promoting resource management and sustainable practices, this partnership underscores our dedication to being climate champions."

Launched in 2021, the Canada Plastics Pact is at the forefront of addressing Canada’s growing plastic crisis. Its mission is to eradicate plastic waste by advancing and expanding solutions that ensure plastics remain in the economy rather than harming people, animals, and the environment.

By promoting innovation and collaboration, over 100 partners from across the plastics value chain are making significant strides in eliminating unnecessary and problematic plastics, redesigning packaging, and increasing the use of recycled plastic.

Cher Mereweather, Managing Director of the Canada Plastics Pact, expressed enthusiasm for SWANA joining the pact.

“To eliminate plastic waste and pollution, a comprehensive strategy encompassing both upstream and downstream solutions is essential. These new partnerships enhance our ability to address unnecessary and problematic plastics by offering reusable or refillable alternatives where appropriate, and by designing necessary plastics to be easily recyclable,” Mereweather stated.

SWANA is a network of over 10,000 committed professionals from both the public and private sectors. The association’s mission is to drive the shift from solid waste management to resource management, focusing on education, advocacy, safety, and research.

"Our members play vital roles in collecting and processing plastics to facilitate recycling and prevent plastic pollution. We are forging connections to promote design for recycling, bolster demand for recycled content, and support essential infrastructure," said Lestition Burke.

Various initiatives have been launched to address opportunities and challenges in enacting systems change, including the creation of strategic working groups that unite key stakeholders to tackle pressing issues related to plastic waste and pollution. The CPP’s guidance documents, developed with the collective expertise of Pact Partners within these working groups, serve as crucial tools to support the implementation of changes in Partner operations by sharing knowledge and innovative solutions.

Lestition Burke expressed that, alongside CPP, they are ready to make substantial progress in promoting a circular economy and reducing the environmental impacts of plastic pollution.

SWANA is now a member of both the Canada Plastics Pact and the US Plastics Pact, joining forces with similar organizations to advance the industry and achieve sustainability goals outlined in the SWANA Strategic Plan.