MENU
01
Home
02
Services
03
Sectors
04
Team
05
Our Work
06
Updates
07
Careers
08
Contact
Services
01
Government Relations
02
Communications & Digital
03
Advisory Services
Sectors
01
Energy
02
Environment
03
Health Care
Updates
01
Insights
02
News
EN
FR
HomeServicesSectorsTeamOur WorkUpdates
EN
FR
insights
updates
October 7, 2020

Federal Government Announces Next Steps to Achieve Zero Plastic Waste & Ban Harmful Single-Use Plastic Items

written by
Federal Team
Federal Government Announces Next Steps to Achieve Zero Plastic Waste & Ban Harmful Single-Use Plastic Items

Minister of Environment & Climate Change, the Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, alongside Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Hon. Steven Guilbeault, announced the Government’s next steps in its plan to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030 and fulfil its commitment to ban harmful single-use plastics.

The plan is outlined in the following discussion paper: A Proposed Integrated Management Approach to Plastic Products to Prevent Waste and Pollution.

The Government conducted a science assessment of plastic pollution to establish the scope of single-use plastics considered harmful. The study determined six single-use plastic items meet the requirements for a ban, namely those “where there is evidence that they are found in the environment, are often not recycled, and have readily available alternatives.” The list includes:

  • Plastic checkout bags
  • Straws
  • Stir sticks
  • Six-pack rings
  • Cutlery
  • Food ware made from hard-to-recycle plastics.

The products will be banned via regulatory instruments using the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) by the end of 2021.

Minister Wilkinson noted that the ban on harmful single-use plastics will not impact access to PPE, which is a concern raised by a number of stakeholders in the lead-up to the announcement.

Additional Measures:

The discussion paper proposes two additional measures, namely:

  • Establishing Performance Standards: The federal government will establish environmental performance standards via regulation, using CEPA, that will include recycled content requirements, rules for measuring and reporting, and technical guidance for plastic products to reduce (or eliminate) their environmental impact and stimulate demand for recycled plastics, and;
  • Ensuring End-of-Life Responsibility: The federal government will work with provinces, territories, and industry to improve and expand extended producer responsibility through consistent, comprehensive, and transparent policies for plastics, so that companies that manufacture plastic products or sell items with plastic packaging are responsible for collecting and recycling them.

The federal government will be working with provinces and territories on these initiatives through the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment and through the implementation of the Canada-wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste and its Action Plans.

Next Steps:

On October 10, the Government of Canada will publish a proposed Order to add “plastic manufactured items” to Schedule 1 of CEPA. This is a necessary regulatory step to banning the six single-use plastic products deemed harmful.

The Government is accepting comments from Canadians and interested stakeholders on the discussion paper until December 9, 2020.

No items found.
share article
Link copied
‍

RECENT POSTS

Mark Carney Wins Minority Government
April 29, 2025

Mark Carney Wins Minority Government

‍Prime Minister Mark Carney has led the Liberal Party of Canada to a fourth consecutive term as the governing party. This election victory resulted in a minority government, with 43.5 percent of the vote share, and 168 seats in the House of Commons.

IESO Publishes 2025 Annual Planning Outlook
April 28, 2025

IESO Publishes 2025 Annual Planning Outlook

On April 24, 2025, the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) released the 2025 Annual Planning Outlook (APO), marking another significant milestone in Ontario’s electricity sector planning.

Federal Election 2025 Update/Week 5
April 25, 2025

Federal Election 2025 Update/Week 5

As Election Day is Monday, party leaders are faced with the last few opportunities to make their case to Canadians that they should be next to form a government and lead the country.

view all
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
company
HomeTeamCareersContactTerms & PoliciesAccessibility
explore
ServicesSectorsOur WorkUpdates
follow us
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2020
Land Acknowledgement