Single-use consumer packaging products in Canada could be a thing of the past, thanks to Terrace’s Ben Korving.
Korving, 51, is the winner of MP Nathan Cullen’s ‘Create Your Canada’ contest, a competition that invited constituents to suggest legislation for Cullen to introduce in the House of Commons as a private member’s bill.
READ MORE: Contest aims to turn Northwest ideas into Canadian law
Frustrated with the amount of day-to-day products that end up in the garbage, Korving outlined his proposal in an email to Cullen’s office last summer.
“I find it morally and ethically wrong that we are living in a society today where we have to throw stuff in the garbage that is perfectly reusable, recyclable or should be compostable,” he says, adding that companies should be held responsible for the packaging they produce.
“It has to stop somewhere. It has to be changed — and it’d be a good start to implement something that would make it mandatory to recycle [packaging] or mandatory to compost it.”
A panel of judges agreed and chose Korving’s submission out of over 100 different ideas from across northwestern B.C.
“Plastics and non-compostable production are increasing at an alarming rate and the federal government needs to wake up,” says Cullen in a press release. “We need big changes to our laws and the leadership from citizens like Ben will help us deal with this urgent problem.”
READ MORE: BC resident calls for national plan to tackle plastic
Korving says he was in disbelief when he found out that his idea was selected.
“It’s unbelievable, I sent it away and I figured it’s just going to be one of the thousands of entries,” he says. “But I never expected this would happen.”
Cullen will fly Korving to Ottawa in early 2019 to watch his idea get introduced to the House of Commons as a private member’s bill.
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