On Wednesday, Canadian Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced the country’s plan to ban single-use plastics nationwide by the end of 2021. The measure is part of Canada’s bigger effort to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030.
Items included in the plan are plastic grocery bags, straws, stir sticks, six-pack rings, cutlery, and food containers made from hard-to-recycle plastics.
The Canadian government will solicit feedback by releasing a discussion paper outlining the proposed plastics ban. The public feedback will be available until December 9, 2020.
Previously in the spring, Wilkinson signaled that the ban on single-use plastics may be delayed because of the pandemic. In the summer, a report found that public support for a crackdown on certain products was dropping as the majority of the survey participants said they preferred the health and safety protections associated with disposable plastics over reusable alternatives.
Many food ventures post surges in single-use plastic consumptions on take outs, such as plastic cutleries. However, Wilkinson underlined that many of those ventures have already transitioned away from polystyrene (PS) to other forms, whether it is recyclable cardboard or different forms of paper.
Further, regarding a health issue, the government stated that the ban will not impact access to personal protective equipment (PPE) or other plastics used in medical facilities. It is now working on plans to properly dispose of PPE as much of it as possible and making efforts to create some of biodegradable PPE.
The Canadian federal government also stated that it would focus on holding big companies responsible for their plastic production, requiring them to play a part in collecting and recycling their materials. Companies would likely be mandated to provide recycled content requirements in products and packaging.
The move is hoped to raise investment in recycling infrastructure and innovation in technology to extend the life of plastic materials to keep them in the economy, and out of the environment for longer.
Wilkinson also pledged CAD2 million (USD1.5 million) for a zero plastic waste initiative, to go to 14 Canadian-led projects.
The federal government will be publishing a proposed order to add “plastic manufactured items” to the list of regulated products under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) later this week.
Each year, Canadian disposed of 3 million tpa of plastic waste where only 9% got recycled. Around one-third of the consumption are single-use or short-lived products and packaging, including up to 15 billion plastic bags per year and close to 57 million straws used daily.
