TORONTO (AP) – Canada will ban single-use plastics as early as 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.
Trudeau said the specific items to be banned will be determined based on a science-based review, but the government is considering items such as water bottles, plastic bags and straws.
“As early as 2021, Canada will ban harmful single-use plastics from coast to coast,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau said his government is drawing inspiration from the European Union’s Parliament, which voted overwhelmingly in March to impose a wide-ranging ban on single-use plastics to counter pollution from discarded items that end up in waterways and fields. Legislatures of the EU member states must vote on the measure before it takes effect.
“Many other countries are doing that and Canada will be one of them,” Trudeau said. “This is a big step but we know can do this for 2021.”