Plastic Free Georgian Bay
Inspired by Plastic Free Parry Sound, Plastic Free Georgian Bay (PFGB) is comprised of volunteer organizations that will sign on to commit their businesses to reducing or eliminating their distribution of single-use plastics.
Objectives of our staff and volunteers include but are not limited to:
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Starting conversations with local businesses about their lightly-used plastic consumption, and working with them to determine ways to reduce their plastic use.
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Enlisting schools and employers to inventory their lightly-used plastic consumption, and working with them to determine ways to reduce their plastic use.
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Finding other groups and organizations who are open to hearing about plastic litter, use, and reduction, and working with them to help set and achieve plastic-free goals.
If you would like to join Plastic-Free Georgian Bay, or if you are part of a group that would be interested in hearing a presentation or participating in a workshop on plastic waste and reduction, please email sean.mullin@gbf.org.
Plastic Free Georgian Bay
These are the local businesses committed to reducing the plastic pollution in the Georgian Bay area.
Beach Veggie
Beach Veggie is a vegan, gluten free, and plastic free catering company serving Wasaga Beach and the surrounding area.
Point Pleasant Marina Limited,
Drew Lichtenheldt & Sherry Leroux consider Point Pleasant Marina more than a job, it’s also their passion. Drew has been working here since 1990 when he was 14 years old.
Customers can be certain when visiting the marina they will be experiencing a standard of service and quality that Drew & Sherry hold themselves to.
V02 Sports Co.
We are a sporting goods retail store that focuses on endurance sports. Specializing in Running, Swimming, Cycling, Triathlons, Snowshoeing and XC Skiing. All of our products are hand selected by professionals in the field to ensure our customers are getting the best quality products.
Shaka Wasaga Boat Cruise
We are a licensed chartered boat business. We take our guests for a two-hour cruise along the Nottawasaga River and along the Georgian Bay. We want to be able to share the beauty of our region by showing our guest the view from the water, and we want to be able to preserve he beauty as much as possible by being conscious of our actions.
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The Keep Refillery
We have a new addition to Plastic-Free Georgian Bay, the Keep Refillery.
The Keep Refillery is dedicated to reducing the amount of plastic wasted in personal hygiene products by allowing customers to simply refill their products once they're done.
They continue to hold themselves and the products they sell to the highest standard of practicing what they preach and are dedicated to the sustainable business practices of the products they sell.
White Pine Tattoo INC
We are White Pine Tattoo, est 2023. We are a family owned business focused on becoming more sustainable and invested in compostable studio supplies upon opening. The tattoo industry creates a shocking amount of single-use plastic waste. We aim to be at least 90% eco-certified and compostable. Our station set ups break down within a year in landfills, we are also paperless and even use innovative cleaning products also created by eco-conscious Canadian companies. We hope to be 100% eco-certified by next year when they create more viable and affordable options for our tools. We are proud to be White Pine.
Sheardown's Wine and Bar
Sheardown's is a Meaford-based wine and bar restaurant that serves delicious meals that are locally sourced and seasonally responsible. They have taken extensive steps to reduce their carbon footprint by fully composting their food waste and reusing plastic or styrofoam containers. Not to mention the hundreds of miles of carbon emissions are saved by only serving locally sourced seasonal ingredients.
Key Knowledge
Extended Producer Responsibility
The Government of Canada is working with provinces and territories to develop regulations to make companies that manufacture plastic products or sell items with plastic packaging responsible for collecting and recycling them.
EPR has long been used around the world, and incentivizes businesses to produce less waste, effectively saving themselves money.
Ontario's Blue Box Regulations
Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks released the finalized Blue Box regulation in 2021, under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act (the RRCEA).
The regulation will shift the burden of reusing, recycling, or refurbishing waste materials found in Blue Boxes back to the producers..
The Ban on Single-Use Plastics
The Government of Canada has implemented a set of regulations that will prohibit the manufacture, sale, and import of excessively wasteful plastic products designed for single usage.
Plastic grocery bags, cutlery, disposable food containers, ring carriers, stir sticks, and straws will no longer be sold or provided in Canada by December 20th, 2023 – June 20th, 2024.