Plastic forks and takeout containers could soon become a thing of the past for Canadians, as the country’s government has announced on Monday that it will ban single-use plastics from as early as 2021, joining a growing global movement in the fight against plastic pollution.
Citing the example of the EU parliament, which voted overwhelmingly in March to impose a similar ban on single-use plastics, prime-minister Justin Trudeau said that Canada, as the country with the longest coastline in the world, was in a unique position to do something about plastic pollution in the ocean. According to research, Canadians throw away nearly 3 million tons of plastic waste each year, while only 10 percent of the plastic used in the country gets recycled.
The list of items that Canada will ban has not yet been set and will be determined based on a science-based review, but the government is considering items such as plastic bags, water bottles, and straws. As part of the initiative, the country will also establish “targets” for companies that manufacture or sells plastics to be responsible for their plastic waste.
