B.C. funding new ways to reduce plastic waste in communities

More B.C. businesses and organizations are receiving funding to provide innovative solutions to recycle and reuse plastic while supporting jobs for people throughout British Columbia.

The CleanBC Plastics Action Fund supports innovative projects that prevent and reduce plastic waste in B.C. First launched in 2020, the fund has invested almost $40 million into projects that address the pressing issue of plastic waste. Thirty projects have already received funding in previous phases.

The Government of B.C. is providing more than $14 million this year through the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund to local businesses, foundations and First Nations to develop creative and effective ways to repair, reuse and recycle plastics into new products to reduce waste. This funding will strengthen local economies while protecting the environment, supporting 32 projects and creating more than 100 new jobs throughout the Province.

Nine of the 32 projects funded in this round are Indigenous led, with recipients from the Indigenous projects category receiving more than $800,000. This brings the total funding for Indigenous projects from the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund to more than $2 million spread across 16 projects.

This year, the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund is piloting a new funding category, regional plastics innovation, which supports projects based outside of the Lower Mainland and the Capital Regional District. This category is being funded in addition to the three previously existing categories: post consumer recycled plastics, Indigenous projects and circular economy innovation.

An additional $8 million will be distributed in the final funding intake for Phase 3. Interested applicants can apply online and successful projects will be chosen in early 2025. All projects must be B.C.-based and completed by February 2026.

The CleanBC Plastics Action Fund is an important part of the Province’s goal of reducing plastic waste for a cleaner, healthier future. It builds on other actions, including efforts to reduce single-use plastics, expanding producer-funded recycling programs and funding the largest shoreline cleanup of ocean plastics in provincial history through the Clean Coast, Clean Waters initiative.

Learn More:

For details about CleanBC Plastics Action Fund Phase 3, Round 1 funding recipients, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/PlasticsActionFund_Backgrounder.pdf

For more information about the fund or to apply, visit: https://www.alacritycanada.com/plasticsactionfund/

To find out about the CleanBC Plastics Action Plan, visit: https://www.gov.bc.ca/reuse