Single Use Plastics will be Banned in Canada by 2021

imageOn June 10, 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposed a federal ban of “harmful” single-use plastics. The proposal which could come into effect as early as 2021 included harmful single-use plastics such as plastic bags, straws, cutlery, plates, and stir sticks where supported by scientific evidence and warranted, and take other steps to reduce pollution from plastic products and packaging.

 

Today, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jonathan Wilkinson, and the Minister of Health, Patty Hajdu, released the draft version of Science Assessment of Plastic Pollution as a precursor to enacting the ban under Canadian Environmental Protection Act and confirmed that the Government is on track to ban single-use plastics as early as 2021.

Science confirms that plastic pollution is everywhere and is negatively impacting our environment. This assessment will inform our decisions as our government follows through on our commitment to ban harmful single-use plastics as soon as 2021 because Canadians expect us to. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change

The report finds that, Canadians throw away over 3 million tonnes of plastic waste every year. Only 9 percent is recycled while the rest ends up in landfills, waste-to-energy facilities, or the environment. It is estimated that 1% of plastic waste enters the environment, representing 29 000 tonnes of plastic pollution in 2016. Plastic packaging is the biggest contributor of plastic waste in Canada, followed by the automotive, textile, and electrical and electronic equipment sectors.

In 2018, Canadians removed over 116,000 kilograms of litter from shorelines across Canada through the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, which included single-use or short-lived products (many containing plastics) such as cigarette butts, bottles and caps, bags, and straws.

With single use plastics ban, Canada can reduce 1.8 million tonnes of carbon pollution, generate billions of dollars in revenue, and create approximately 42,000 jobs.

The Draft Science Assessment of Plastic Pollution will be published on January 31, 2020, in Part I of the Canada Gazette for a 60-day public comment period.

 

 

 

 

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