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2d ago

Ottawa Opens 70-Day Consultation to Repeal Planned Single-Use Plastic Export Ban

The domestic prohibition remains in effect despite provincial pushback.

A Montreal municipal bylaw banning the use of single-use plastic items comes into effect today, with glasses, stir sticks, straws and utensils among the items that will be prohibited. Plastic straws are pictured in North Vancouver, B.C. on Monday, June 4, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS Jonathan Hayward
Plastics are seen being gathered for recycling at a depot in North Vancouver on June, 10, 2019. Environment Canada is releasing scientific evidence today to back up the government's bid to ban most single-use plastics next year. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last June the government was getting ready to prohibit the production and sale of single-use plastics in Canada, such as drinking straws, takeout containers and plastic cutlery. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Overview

  • The federal government launched the consultation through the Canada Gazette after a previously scheduled export ban was set to take effect on December 20.
  • Officials cite tariffs and supply chain pressures on the economy and say an export ban would not meaningfully reduce plastic waste because buyers could shift to non‑Canadian suppliers.
  • The domestic rules introduced from 2022 to 2024 continue to prohibit items such as grocery bags, straws, cutlery, ring carriers and certain takeout containers.
  • More than two dozen manufacturers challenged the regulations in Federal Court, a judge found the 'toxic' designation unreasonable in 2023, and Ottawa’s appeal remains unresolved.
  • Government figures note $35 billion in sector output and about 85,000 jobs in 2023, with roughly 94% of $14.9 billion in plastics exports going to the U.S., and a cited Dun & Bradstreet analysis indicates 82% of affected exporters are small firms.