The Federal Government is moving to ban specific single-use plastics.
Today Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson said plastic impacts even the northern-most regions of the country, causing harm to wildlife, particularly marine life and can even be found in tap water.
The problem is getting worse, so the government has announced its plan.
“One important part of this plan is a ban on harmful single-use plastics that have three key characteristics,” said Wilkinson. “They are harmful in the environment, they are difficult or costly to recycle and there are readily-available alternatives.”
The ban would cover plastic grocery bags, straws, stir sticks, six-pack rings, cutlery and food ware made from hard to recycle plastics, specifically expanded polystyrene.
Regulations will be finalised by the end of 2021.
Reusable and paper bags would become available in stores as an alternative to plastics.
Zero plastic waste by 2030 is now Canada’s goal.
We are taking comprehensive action to fight plastic pollution. Watch the announcement live on Facebook: https://t.co/YVXmm1Crzl #ZeroPlasticWaste https://t.co/IqbGOQdhmW
— Jonathan Wilkinson 🇨🇦 (@JonathanWNV) October 7, 2020
(Photo via Jonathan Wilkinson’s Twitter account)