Canada bans single-use plastics

        Environment Canada has issued regulations to ban single-use plastics in the country. Canada's Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault and Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos issued regulations to ban single-use plastics, including checkout bags, cutlery, food and beverage utensils made of or containing hard-to-recycle plastics, ring carriers, stirrers, and straws (with some exceptions).

        According to a press release from Environment Canada, the ban on the production and import of these single-use plastics will take effect in December. The government will allow companies time to transition and deplete existing stocks of these single-use plastic products by December 2023. The ruling also prohibits the export of these six types of plastics until the end of 2025.

        Environment Canada said it expects the ban to eliminate more than 1.3 million metric tonnes of hard-to-recycle plastics and more than 22,000 metric tonnes of plastic pollution.

        “We promised Canadians that we would ban single-use plastics. Today, that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Guilbeault said. "By the end of the year, you won't be able to manufacture or import these harmful plastics. After that, businesses will start offering sustainable solutions Canadians want, whether it's paper straws or reusable bags. With these new rules, we're taking a historic leap forward in reducing plastic pollution and keeping our communities and the places we love clean."

        Some industry associations expressed concern about the ruling

        The Washington-based Plastics Industry Association (Plastics) said it was disappointed with the ban. "The neglect of manufacturing jobs on both sides of the border is concerning," said Matt Seaholm, president and CEO of Plastics.

        "The lack of a thorough economic analysis in implementing such a sweeping regulation is truly frustrating. As a result of this action, plastics companies will have to lay off employees or close facilities outright. "Our members never want to see their product end up somewhere it doesn't belong. But while banning a product will certainly make it go away, replacing it with alternatives that may have a greater impact on the environment is completely counterproductive." Seaholm added that these regulations ignore opportunities to recycle single-use plastics. "Banning these products will increase costs for businesses and consumers in the United States and Canada without helping to significantly reduce litter or waste. ”

        The Chemical Industry Association of Canada (CIAC), based in Ottawa, Ontario, also expressed disappointment with the ban. CIAC said, “Banning some single-use plastics does not solve the overall problem of plastic pollution and post-consumer plastic management.”

        “We are disappointed that safe, inert plastic materials that play such an important role in Canadians’ lives are being banned when innovative technologies such as advanced recycling can effectively manage them,” said Elena Mantagaris, vice president of plastics at CIAC. "Rather than bans, we need to invest in recycling infrastructure and innovation, including managed compostable infrastructure, to take the $8 billion worth of plastic that currently goes to landfill and recycle it into the economy." The CIAC report said it plans to work with the Canadian federal government to understand the scope of the ban's impact on businesses.