A ban on certain plastic items in Canada will come into effect by the end of 2023.
The government will first halt by December 2022 the manufacturing of single-use plastics, including shopping bags, cutlery, beverage ring carriers, stir sticks, straws and food containers that are difficult to recycle.
Plastic straws will still be available to those with disabilities or for medical reasons.
The export of the items will come to an end in 2025.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Steve Guilbeault insists the decision is supported by science.
“It will keep our environment clean and wildlife healthy, and all these products have available alternatives. This comes after extensive consultations the government conducted over the past several years,” says Guilbeault.
The federal government first proposed the ban in 2018 with the intention of making it law in 2021.
Guilbeault says the items being banned are those identified as being most harmful to the environment.
He says other single-use plastics may be restricted in the future.
“We’re starting with these ones because based on the data we have, these are the most harmful plastic substances, but it may be the case that we decide in the near future to ban some others.”
The government says the ban will lead to over 1.3 million tonnes of hard-to-recycle plastic waste and more than 22,000 tonnes of plastic pollution being diverted from landfill sites.
It says that is the equivalent of over a million garbage bags full of litter.
Guilbeault says while the ban on products is necessary, it’s not the only solution.
“I don’t think we can ban our way out of plastic pollution. Banning certain items is certainly part of the solution. Regulating to ensure that companies who produce plastics used more and more recycled plastic as part of their content is also partly solution.”
Some major chain stores have already taken steps to rid themselves of plastic shopping bags.
The town of Fort Frances imposed a ban on plastic shopping bags and styrofoam food containers two years ago but delayed enforcement until 2023 after some business owners expressed difficulties in trying to obtain alternatives.
