Canada’s ban on single-use plastics to begin this year

by Madeline Simmons

Canada has announced that it is taking action in the fight against plastic pollution by banning single-use plastics, according to The Planetary Press. The ban covers the manufacturing, import, and sale of harmful single-use plastics and will go into effect by the end of this year. 

The Canadian government has made a list of specific items that the ban applies to checkout bags, ring careers for cans and bottles, stir sticks, utensils, takeout containers, and straws. However, exceptions will be granted for medical or accessibility reasons. Beginning in December 2023, the sale of these items will be barred and exports will be banned by the end of 2025. Doing this will remove an estimated 33 billion units of single-use plastics from entering the oceans each year. 

Canada is hoping to develop a circular economy that would limit the amount of plastic waste entering landfills and the ocean. Their government is enthusiastic about the potential that a circular economy will bring, cutting carbon emissions by two megatonnes each year, generating billions of dollars in revenue, and creating nearly 42,000 jobs.