Say adieu to single-use plastic in Canada.
The end of plastic bags, straws, cutlery, and other plastic items within the country is near with news of Canada’s ban on single-use plastic by the end of 2020.
The federal government has announced that Canada intends to prohibit the use of certain common plastic items across the nation. This change aligns with the current plan for Canada to reach zero plastic waste by 2030.
The six plastic items to be restricted by the proposed ban:
- Plastic grocery bags
- Straws
- Stir sticks
- Cutlery
- Beverage six-pack rings
- Food packaging made from hard-to-recycle plastics
Canada plans to ban single-use plastics — checkout bags, straws, stir sticks, six-pack rings, cutlery and even foodware made from hard-to-recycle plastics — nationwide by the end of 2021 https://t.co/4D2gtCYkPG
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) October 7, 2020
As awareness of the effects of plastic on the environment has increased, so too has the push to phase out the use of it. There is a global movement towards banning single-use plastic, with over 75 countries around the world already having implemented bans to varying degrees.
Fun fact: Leaf Rapids, a small town in Manitoba, was the first community in North America to ban plastic bags.
In Canada, approximately 15 billion plastic bags are used annually and almost 57 million straws are used daily. Although they may seem harmless, there is research that shows single-use plastic products can have a strong negative impact on our ecosystems and health.
According to Minister of Environment and Climate Change, this ban “will help drive innovation across the country as new and easier to recycle items take their place in our economy.”
[Featured Image: Pexels]