Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of presenting petition e-1557. This petition is for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
The petitioners state that over 500 million plastic straws are used every day, but most plastic straws are not recycled, nor can they be; that plastic waste poses an enormous threat to wildlife, is a danger to human health and costs millions to the Canadian economy; that every piece of plastic ever produced still exists today; that single-use plastic straws are discarded after an average use of 30 seconds; that straws are a big contributor to the eight million tonnes of plastic entering the sea each year. They say that in this day and age, there are so many alternatives, such as paper, bamboo, or reusable straws made of stainless steel or glass; that the effect that our love affair with plastic has on the environment becomes more and more clear each day; that plastic straws and utensils account for a large percentage of waste—