Canada is on Its Way to Banning Single-Use Plastic Items

By
Jovana A
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Caring about our planet becomes more and more important as we witness climate change effects. We’ve seen many different trends related to living an eco-friendly life, but the changes individuals make aren’t nearly as significant as the ones made by whole countries. In 2021, Canada plans to ban single-use plastic in an effort to reduce pollution and it’s a great step in the right direction.

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Here are the items on the federal government's list of soon-to-be-banned single-use plastics: • – Grocery checkout bags – Straws – Stir sticks – Six-pack rings – Plastic cutlery – Food takeout containers made from hard-to-recycle plastics (like the black-plastic packaging) • The regulations to introduce the ban will be finalized by the end of 2021. • "When a ban comes into effect, your local stores will be providing you with alternatives to these plastic products like reuseable or paper bags in place of plastic," Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said while unveiling the list of items Wednesday morning. • Wilkinson said the ban will not include plastics used to make personal protective gear or medical waste. • • • (Graphic and Reporting: CBC News) #cbc #cbcnews #plastic #environment #singleuseplastic #sustainability #plasticwaste #takeout #groceries

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Currently, Canadians produce three million tons of plastic waste per year and only 9% of it gets recycled. Most of that waste ends up filling landfills and it’s time to put an end to this bad practice. Starting in 2021, items like plastic bags in stores, straws, plastic cutlery, and plastic stir sticks will no longer be available in the country. The full list also includes six-pack rings and plastic food ware that can’t be recycled.

“Plastic pollution threatens our natural environment. It fills our rivers or lakes, and most particularly our oceans, choking the wildlife that live there. Canadians see the impact that pollution has from coast to coast to coast,” Jonathan Wilkinson, the minister for the environment, said in a press conference.