Canada Introduces Sweeping New Single-Use Plastics Ban

In an effort to curb plastic pollution, the Canadian government has prohibited the manufacture, import, sale and eventual export of six single-use plastic items: checkout bags, cutlery, food service products containing "problematic plastics," ring carriers, stir sticks and straws.

The ban on importing will come into effect in December 2022, with the sale prohibition going into effect December 2023.

"The Government of Canada is taking ambitious action to reduce plastic pollution through a comprehensive approach that addresses the entire lifecycle of plastics," the statement on the Canadian Government website says. "This approach seeks to transition Canada away from a linear economy, that disposes of plastic as waste, towards a circular economy that keeps plastic in the economy and out of the environment through activities such as better product design and higher rates of reuse, repair, remanufacture, refurbishment and recycling."

Canadian officials offered advice to business owners about how they could transition away from single-use plastics, and what products they could use instead. For example, they could use cutlery, stir sticks and straws made from non-plastic materials like wood, paper and pulp fiber.

According to CNBC, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the ban will eliminate more than 1.3 million tons of plastic waste over the next 10 years.

We promised to ban harmful single-use plastics, and we’re keeping that promise. The ban on the making and importing of plastic bags, cutlery, straws and other items comes into effect in December 2022 – and selling these items is prohibited as of December 2023.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 20, 2022

"With these new regulations, we're taking a historic step forward in reducing plastic pollution, and keeping our communities and the places we love clean," said Steven Guilbeault, Canada's federal minister of environment and climate change, according to CNBC.

Single-use plastics bans or limitations are gaining steam globally. The U.K. has already implemented some limitations on items like single-use bags and straws, and has been weighing the possibility of introducing further bans. Rwanda has strict single-use plastic limitations, and U.S. states such as New York and New Jersey have taken steps to prohibit single-use plastic items, though there is not yet any legislation on the federal level.

South of Canada's border, the U.S. is the world's largest contributor to plastic waste, according to a Congressional report. The U.S. Department of Interior said this month that it will phase out single-use plastic products in national parks and other public lands by 2032.