“Plastics Pathway” located at the Toronto Zoo aims to educate and inspire Canadians with circular solutions, including hard-to-recycle plastics given a second life
TORONTO – December 1, 2022 – A new interactive Plastics Pathway is coming to the Toronto Zoo, providing an opportunity for the Zoo’s 1.2 million annual guests to learn about plastic use and the important and innovative efforts underway to address plastic pollution. Spearheaded by Pollution Probe, a Canadian environmental organization at the forefront of progress on a range of environmental issues, the Toronto Zoo and GreenMantra Technologies, a clean technology leader that converts recycled plastics into high-value specialty polymers, the first elements of the Pathway will be introduced at the Zoo on December 1st with further installations set to open throughout 2023.
Made possible through generous support from the Province of Ontario, the Plastics Pathway will highlight how plastic can be a beneficial resource when used, treated and discarded responsibly and will educate about the need to transition to a more circular approach to plastic use. It will also provide an opportunity to showcase important efforts underway to address plastic pollution in the environment, an issue of critical importance in Ontario and beyond.
“Working in partnership with Pollution Probe, our government has invested in the largest initiative in the world to tackle plastic pollution to safeguard the Great Lakes for future generations,” said David Piccini, Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks. “That is why we are happy to support this interactive Plastics Pathway at the Toronto Zoo to help raise awareness of plastic pollution in waterways and the ecosystems that depend on them.”
The Plastics Pathway will include a number of elements aimed at increasing public understanding and engagement, including those related to plastic in the environment, collection, sortation and recycling, sustainable design and recycled content and upcycling. A series of educational displays acknowledge the value of plastics while emphasizing the impact of plastic pollution on the environment. Real-life examples of hard-to-recycle plastics that have been transformed into new products provide inspiration for finding practical, long-term solutions to the plastic pollution issue.
“We’re very excited to launch this incredible initiative with the Toronto Zoo and GreenMantra Technologies,” says Christopher Hilkene, Chief Executive Officer at Pollution Probe. “The Plastics Pathway will highlight just some of the innovative and collaborative ways that the plastic pollution problem is being addressed. Although many of these solutions are not new, providing the public with an opportunity to learn about and engage with them firsthand can play a critical role in ensuring that plastics are responsibly used, reused and recycled, while acknowledging their potential as a beneficial resource, rather than a waste product.”
“Hosting the Plastics Pathway here at our Toronto Zoo is a great opportunity to educate our guests on the important role they can play in reducing and eliminating single use plastics and waste, and how decisions they make as informed consumers can have a huge impact on a sustainable future for our community and our planet,” says Dolf DeJong, Toronto Zoo CEO. “The Plastics Pathway will be an experience for our guests that strongly supports our mission to connect people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction. By working with great partners like Pollution Probe and GreenMantra, we can make a difference in the global climate crisis and make better consumer choices to protect our wildlife and wild spaces.”
“Achieving circularity for plastic is essential for solving the plastic pollution crisis, and everyone has a role to play in that. That’s why partnerships, like this one, are so important to give visibility to the problems and the solutions, and create an opportunity to educate the public,” says Domenic Di Mondo, President of GREENMANTRA Technologies. “Consumers play just as important a role in the circular economy as our company does. At GREENMANTRA, we take the waste plastics that consumers recycle and transform them into valuable polymer products. We are excited to participate in a project like this, that creates awareness and alignment to make plastic recycling a long-term success.”
To learn more information about the Plastic Pathways, visit https://www.pollutionprobe.org/plastics-pathway/
About Pollution Probe
Pollution Probe is Canada’s longest-standing environmental organization. We pursue environmental gains by working productively with governments, industry and the public, with a steadfast commitment to Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Healthy Planet.
About the Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo’s mission is to connect people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction and our vision is a world where wildlife and wild spaces thrive. An iconic tourist attraction and Conservation organization, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day including December 25 and attracts approximately 1.2 million guests each year. Toronto Zoo is accredited by Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Zoo has also achieved the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Certificate of Good Animal Practice® and is inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).
About GreenMantra Technologies
GREENMANTRA Technologies is a leader in advanced recycling that transforms waste plastics into value-creating specialty waxes and polymers. GREENMANTRA’s products are used as performance enhancers and processing aids in roofing, asphalt roads, extruded plastic pipes, and other construction infrastructure applications with useful lifespans of 20-50+ years. In each application, GREENMANTRA improves product performance, provides a more efficient manufacturing process, and allows manufacturers to greatly increase the recycled content of their end products without sacrificing performance. GREENMANTRA annually diverts thousands of tons of waste plastic from our oceans and landfills into new applications.
Media Contacts
Lisa Raffaele
647-896-0743
Livija Cygas
416-579-1404
Katie Gray
Toronto Zoo Manager of Strategic Communications
Ben Scott
226-979-3142