Plastic straws and bags no more: Canada aims to clean up its act

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada provides ban some single-use plastics like straws, bags and cutlery by early 2021 to lower non-recyclable waste and protect the world’s oceans, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday.

Trudeau announced the change from the banks of a lake in Gault Nature Reserve in Quebec below five months before a national election in which climate change and pollution are probably the top campaign issues.

“In truth, as a dad, it’s tough endeavoring to explain this to the children. How do you explain dead whales dish washing on beaches internationally, their stomachs jam-packed with plastic bags?” Trudeau said.

“Being a parent we’re with a point as we take our to the beach and we have to look for a patch of sand that isn’t affected by straws, Styrofoam or bottles. That’s problems, one that we need to do something about.”

Canada’s move follows one from the European Parliament, which voted a few months ago to ban several single-use plastic products, and recent disputes together with the Philippines and Malaysia over Canadian waste shipped to your potential customers.

Less than 10% of plastic applied to Canada gets recycled, and Canadians will dispose of an estimated C$11 billion ($8.3 billion) value of plastic materials every year by 2030 with out a change in course, the us government said with a statement.

Canada has delayed implementation until 2021 allowing time for a “science-based” decision on exactly which plastics “are unhealthy for the environment and human health,” as per a government statement.

It may also give businesses period to adjust.

“The restaurateurs can take a hit, however, some of the extra cost will be passed onto consumers, too,” said Claudio Fracassi, who owns the Soup Guy Plus restaurant in central Ottawa.

He uses Styrofoam soup cups and plastic utensils, but offers switch to paper products, which might cost more, he said.

“I will save the environment. I recycle. On the other hand want more choices (of non-plastic products) plus the emphasis should be put on the software creator,” Fracassi said.

Canada might need manufacturers to use a set number of recycled content, we are said. Also, federal and provincial authorities work together to make sure companies, rather than just municipalities, take more responsibility on your recycling process.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business essential an assessment of your economic impacts of the ban.

“If done hastily, this insurance policy could include a whole lot most recent red tape with their plates,” CFIB President Dan Kelly said within the statement.

Canada recently became entangled in a very political dispute considering the Philippines over 1,500 plenty of household waste – mislabeled as recyclable plastics – shipped to Southeast Asia in 2019 and 2019. Canada decided to take it back a few weeks ago after a protracted diplomatic spat.

Malaysia similarly stated it would return 3,000 a ton of plastic waste from Canada, the United States, Japan as well as the United Kingdom.

“This challenge of plastic pollution will increasingly seen as an issue for developing countries that feel there’re being dumped with waste from rich countries which needs to be taking care of their particular waste internally,” said Sara Seck, a Dalhousie University law professor.