Trudeau government wants to ban single-use plastics by 2021

The ban includes, but is not limited to: plastic straws, cotton buds, drink stirrers, plates, cutlery and balloon sticks.

This is part of a solution the government has in mind for the plastic pollution problem, which they will address on Monday.

The list is a carbon-copy of the one used by the European Union, which voted in March to also ban products made of oxo-degradable plastics, such as bags. Oxo-degradable plastics include additives that don’t completely biodegrade but fragment into small pieces and remain in the environment.

Fast-food containers and cups made of expanded polystyrene, similar to white styrofoam, will also be banned.

A report conducted by Deloitte and ChemInfo Services, commissioned by Environment and Climate Change Canada, found in 2016 that only nine percent of plastic waste was recycled in Canada, with 87 percent ending up in landfills.

Canadians throw away more than 34 million plastic bags every day, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada; most plastic bags that end up in landfills can take as long as 1,000 years to decay. These bags also have the tendency to end up in the oceans, threatening marine life.

According to the Environment and Climate Change Canada, the new plastics strategy, which will be introduced on Monday, will generate jobs and reduce greenhouse gases. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna will make the proclamation.

What do you think of this measure to curb pollution? Let us know in the comments below!