Canadian restaurants are no longer allowed to offer customers plastic bags, food containers or cutlery, but a court has ruled such restrictions are unconstitutional.
According to French news agency AFP, the single-use plastic ban was introduced last year and was to be phased in as part of Ottawa’s commitment to zero plastic waste by 2030. .
But that hit a snag in November when a Canadian court ruled in a lawsuit brought by oil and chemical companies that it was “unreasonable and unconstitutional.”
The government nevertheless went ahead and asked the court to stay the order striking down the ban and filed an appeal against it, thus banning the manufacture, sale or use of single-use plastics in stores.
Charles Desgins, 29, was eating lunch at a restaurant near Montreal and said, “I think it’s great that store owners are being asked to do this.” I don’t think everyone will follow it immediately.
On the other hand, some people like Emile Doucet of Parma Sandwich restaurant are lamenting that it is not yet easy to find alternatives to plastic.
The government says Canadians throw away 3 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, including 15 billion bags, while only nine per cent is recycled.
The government has said the ban aims to increase recycling to 90 percent in line with European targets by 2029.
“The science is clear: plastic pollution is everywhere, and it harms wildlife and harms the environment,” Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said in a statement. It is found in Canada and around the world.
A survey by the environmental group Oceania Canada found that Canadians overwhelmingly support plastic bans, and 50 other countries have adopted laws to combat plastic pollution.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said in May that the world should halve single-use plastics and promote the reuse and recycling of plastics on a larger scale. Alternatives should be found to prevent pollution.
In 2019, 353 million tons of plastic waste was generated worldwide, of which 22 percent was buried in landfills, some was incinerated, and the rest was released into the natural environment.