Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, witnesses.
I want to continue along the line of questioning that Mr. Viersen was just going down with Ms. Saunders.
If we look at provincial and federal responsibilities in this area, the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment has come up with a strategy for zero plastic waste for Canada. They have 10 items in that strategy. The eighth item in the strategy has to do with science and research, which is where this committee picks up the thread. It says, “decision makers require robust evidence” and data in order to make the proper decisions, and that the research can happen “on a number of fronts, to improve understanding of where macro- and micro-plastic [waste] comes from, how it enters the environment and, the impacts it has on people and the environment.”
I'm wondering, from your perspective, in terms of research.... A previous witness today said that we've researched this thing more than it needs to be. It seems to me there's still research needed around where plastic is entering the waste streams, how much plastic waste is being generated, and how plastic waste is being reused and entering other applications as an input to other industries.
Could you comment on where the industry is at in terms of monitoring plastic waste and the opportunities? It isn't waste. It's plastic resource. How do we use a resource that isn't fit for purpose in one application but may be in others?