Government proposes ban on plastic products

Ottawa – The federal government is proposing to introduce regulations by the end of 2021 to ban single-use plastic items where there is evidence that they are harmful to the environment, often not recycled or replaceable with readily available alternatives.

The government is proposing to ban checkout bags, tir sticks, six-pack rings, cutlery, straws and foodservice ware made from hard-to-recycle plastics (such as black plastic packaging and foamed plastics).

This list of items was published today in a discussion paper, which also sets out the government’s plans to establish recycled content requirements in products and packaging and ensure end-of-life responsibility for plastics.

Written comments will be accepted until Dec. 9, 2020. Specific discussion questions and details for submitting comments are included in the discussion paper.