The federal government has put the wheels in motion to officially ban companies from importing or making single-use plastic products by the end of this year and end their sale by 2025.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault published the final regulations enacting the ban this week.
The ban includes plastic bags, styrofoam takeout containers, cutlery, stir sticks, and the plastic rings used to hold six cans together.
There is some limited exception for straws, in order to accommodate people with disabilities.
The government is also intending to impose standards that would require a minimum amount of recycled content in single-use items in order for material from recycling facilities to have a bigger market share.
The call for curbing plastic usage globally has been spreading, especially since research suggests that only about 10 percent of plastic products actually get recycled.
