Canadians are blessed with so much – which might explain why we have one of the highest per-capita waste rates in the world – an issue and opportunity for Canadian governments, businesses and citizens.
Confronting this problem, Metro Vancouver through the leadership of Greg, Heather and Malcolm launched the National Zero Waste Council in 2013, a cross-sector waste prevention initiative advancing the concept of the circular economy to Canada, which has grown to 100 plus members including 6 of the nation’s largest metropolitan regions, businesses large and small, community and academic partners. Their innovative approach calls for a shift away from “managing waste” as an output of our traditional linear “take-make-dispose” model of production and consumption to preventing waste in a circular economy – where materials and products remain at their highest utility and value at all times. The circular economy offers a systems approach to protecting the environment and eliminating waste while creating economic opportunity – offering a tremendous innovation opportunity for Canada.
