Canada's single use plastic ban came into effect on December 20, 2022. It feels like a small resolution for our country. It's not going to make a massive difference in our overall plastic waste, but I hope it help people think about all of their overall choices of products and packaging.
So what does this ban actually do?
The ban will include items from six categories and were selected because they are items commonly found in the environment, are difficult to recycle & have available alternatives. The categories are:
- checkout bags
- cutlery
- foodservice ware made from, or containing, problematic plastics that are hard to recycle
- stir sticks
- straws (with some exceptions)
- ring carriers
The ban takes a phased-in approach to allow businesses time to transition. Watch for these milestones:
- December 20, 2022: prohibition on the import and manufacture of single-use plastic checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware made from problematic plastics, stir sticks, and straws.
- December 2023: the prohibition on the sale of these items.
- June 2023, the manufacture and import of ring carriers will be prohibited and the sale of these items will be prohibited in June 2024.
- June 2024, the sale of flexible straws packaged with beverage containers will be prohibited.
- By the end of 2025 the Government will also prohibit the manufacture and import for the purposes of export of all six categories of single-use plastics.
CBC wrote a good summary in June.