Canada to ban most single-use plastic forms

Canada will ban most single-use plastic forms from customer-facing businesses in phased restrictions beginning this year.

Single-use plastic bags, takeout containers, straws, stirrers, and cutlery will all be prohibited. For industrially packaged foods and drinks, single-use plastic will still be acceptable—with the exception of ring carriers for beverage cans.

By the end of this year, Canadian businesses will no longer be allowed to import or manufacture these goods. They will also be prohibited from selling or exporting them by the end of 2023. They were promulgated by the Ministries of Health and Environment.

Less than one-tenth of Canada's plastic waste is recycled, according to a Deloitte study cited by the CBC. Canada has now joined the European Union, the United Kingdom, Chile, and other countries in enacting a ban on single-use plastics in some capacity.

Greenpeace Canada's spokesperson, who referred to the anticipated result as "a drop in the bucket," stressed that the government won't have the impact we need to see on the environment or in our waste streams until it commits to widespread reductions in plastic production.