Cleaner commutes and less waste: How Canadian households are helping the environment

Summer is around the corner, and so are higher temperatures—a reminder that reducing emissions starts with everyday choices at home and on the road. 

The latest data we released on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions directly attributable to households are from 2023. That year, households accounted for over one-fifth (21.5%) of Canada’s total energy use and less than one-sixth (15.4%) of Canada’s total GHG emission, virtually unchanged from 2022. Emissions declined from 2022 to 2023, to 2.8 tonnes per person.

For households, helping reduce emissions often means making greener choices when it comes to commuting, composting or recycling, home energy use and even shopping habits. Let’s have a look at the latest data to see how we’re doing.

Since 2022, the Labour Force Survey has collected data on commuting in May. In May 2025, less than one-fifth (18.2%) of commuters mainly took public transit or active transportation (walking or cycling) to work, up from a year earlier (17.5%). About four in five commuters (80.9%) travelled by car, truck or van—a slight decrease (-0.6%) from May 2024.

Many Canadians continue to opt for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) to get around. In 2025, 169,972 ZEVs were sold in Canada, making up 8.7% of all new motor vehicle sales.

Commuting increased for the fourth consecutive year in 2025 as working from home decreased, potentially contributing to higher GHG emissions and congestion. 

In 2024, nearly 8.6 million tonnes of residential and non-residential sources of waste were diverted from landfills, up slightly from 2023.

Households diverted nearly 1.2 million tonnes of paper fibres from landfills in 2024, up by 48 896 tonnes from 2023 and remaining the second-largest category by volume.

Households also diverted more glass (+23 102 tonnes), plastics (+21 387) and construction, renovation and demolition materials (+19 226) in 2024 compared with 2023, and less copper and aluminum (-1 874), and white goods (-5 063).

Organic materials remained the largest category by volume at almost 2.5 million tonnes diverted in 2024, despite a slight decline from 2023.

Every two years, the Households and the Environment Survey asks households several questions on environmental practices, including composting and plastic usage.

In 2023, 85% of Canadian households reported composting kitchen waste, yard waste, or compostable bioplastics, up considerably from 2009 (61%).

Composting of kitchen waste had the largest increase, going from 43% to 70% of households over the same period.

Nearly all Canadian households (98%) reported using their own plastic bags or containers when grocery shopping in 2023, up from 2019 (96%). Most of those households (80%) said they always used their own.

In 2023, most households (94%) reported using reusable food containers instead of disposable ones. More than four in five (82%) households bought products, such as soap, in bulk to be able to refill a smaller container, while a majority (57%) purchased reusable personal care products.

In 2021, single-detached households consumed an average of 108.7 gigajoules (GJ) of energy, compared with (85.4 GJ) across all dwelling types. Low-rise and high-rise apartments consumed the least. 

For reference, 1 GJ is enough power to vacuum your house for 230 hours, run a typical fridge for 30 weeks or wash over 100 loads of laundry.

Most household energy use in 2021 came directly from natural gas (51.5%) or electricity (45.8%). 

In 2023, 8% of Canadian households had a heat pump. Those in the Maritimes were most likely to have one, with more than one-third (36%) in Prince Edward Island, followed by New Brunswick (27%) and Nova Scotia (25%).

Today is Clean Air Day, part of Canadian Environment Week. Visit Canadian Environment Week 2026 for more information and resources from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

To learn more about the impacts of energy use on the environment, visit the Energy and the Environment section of the Canadian Centre for Energy Information.