Ottawa: Canada has banned import of plastic items, such as grocery bags and straws in the country.
Now onwards, companies will not be able to manufacture plastic items in Canada, nor will they be able to order plastic grocery bags, cutlery, star sticks, straws and takeout containers from outside. In addition, it would be illegal to sell these items in Canada within a year.
From next June, the production and import of plastic rings used to pack six packs of drinks in Canada will also be banned and their sale will be banned a year later. The federal government estimates that getting rid of single-use plastic will remove 1.3 million tons of plastic waste, which is difficult to recycle, and rid the millions of garbage bags responsible for causing pollution.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised in 2019 that plastic items would be banned until 2021. But it took another year for the federal government to create a framework to deliver on this promise.
Data published last month showed Canadians use of items such as straws and plastic bags has been reduced even before a national ban on plastic items was imposed.