In the News - Canada to ban some single use plastics by the end of 2021

So, some good news. Not only is British Columbia banning some single use plastics... but now Canada is moving in that direction as well. But it's not all single-use plastics... only the top six offenders.

First up... Grocery check-out bags... I know that I have been using these a lot more thanks to Covid-19 and the ban on bringing my own bags into stores. And it is soooo easy to slip back into that habit even now that I can bring my own bags. But, Covid-19 is not going to be around forever and, as we learn more about the virus, experts are questioning how much touch-transfer can occur at various points. So, banning grocery check-out bags is a good start. But it leaves me wondering... does this include the check-out bags from other stores? Home Depot? Dollar Store? Corner stores? And this ban doesn't address the whole line of produce bags. I got some resuable mesh produce bags for Christmas last year and, with Covid-19, haven't been using them. Wondering if maybe now is a good time to start again? And let's not even talk about Bulk Barn and all of their filmy plastic bags as well. Still... grocery check-out bags is a good start. (Image at left from CBC News)

Next up - Plastic Straws. We've all seen the picture of a turtle with a straw stuck up its nose. We know that straws are very bad for the environment. So, getting rid of plastic straws is an excellent move. There are now cardboard straws out there as well as metal straws. I know that some people with disabilities do better with plastic straws so presumably there may be an exception for them? But gone are the days when you would automatically get a little straw with your soft drink or juice in a restaurant.

Then we have Plastic Stir Sticks. I know that Starbucks switched over to wooden stir sticks several years ago. The one thing they still have is those plastic stir stick/plugs for the to-go cup lids. Ah... I looked it up, they are called Splash Sticks. And I see them everywhere when I go walking in parks... Because, once you've got your to-go drink and are walking in the park with it... what are you supposed to do with the little green splash stick? Toss it on the ground I guess. So, kudos to Starbucks for getting rid of their plastic stir sticks... now it's time to get rid of the splash sticks as well.

Missouri Department of Conservation

And... at last... Six Pack Rings are being banned!! Hooray!!!! It's about time. We've all seen pics of animals with their necks stuck in a plastic six pack ring. No? You haven't? Here... a pic of a turtle... from the Missouri Department of Conservation no less. I know that I always, always, always, take a pair of scissors and cut each circle/opening of the plastic rings... even the small ones. But I can't tell you how many of these things I find lying on the ground. As early as the 1970s they were identified as a particularly dangerous form of marine debris. Good riddance.

We can also bid adieu to Plastic Cutlery. I started this last year for myself.... carrying around my own camping cutlery in my bag for whenever I went into a Starbucks and wanted to order warmed-up brownie. It's not hard to do... and it felt good to be able to turn down the plastic fork contained within a plastic bag. But now, it's going to become mandatory... no more plastic cutlery. There are plenty of other options out there for take-out meals. I had a quick look at ULine.ca which sells plastic cutlery... about $0.07/plastic utensil of standard weight. They didn't have a non-plastic alternative. For that... I went to Let'sGoGreen where they sell cutlery made from plant starch for... about $0.07/utensil... Mind you, that's probably in $US so... more like $0.09/utensil. Ya know, if I knew that I was paying an extra $0.06 for a set of eco-friendly disposable utensils... I'd be all over that.

Finally... we have Takeout Containers made from "hard to recycle plastics". This is your everyday styrofoam, polystyrene containers. It's kind of crazy in this day and age that any business would actually still be using these things but I you can still buy styrofoam cups in the stores! ULine Canada sells them... grocery stores sell them... and I'm hoping that they are included in the ban. As well, are the take-out containers made from polystyrene... nowadays you can get take-out containers made from sugar cane waste... so we really don't need to resort of polystyrene. And I know that if I ever get take-out again... that will be one of my first questions "What sort of containers do you use?" I'm not sure what the solution is for take-out... I have had some restaurants use hard-shell plastic containers (white bottom and clear lid). I have had some use what looks like plastic-lined paper-based boxes with little metal lid/handles. But there are other options, everything from restaurants charging and extra $1 for serving the take-out meal in reusable plastic containers to restaurants taking back their dirty usable containers the next day. There are options... At the very least, some people recommend bringing your own plastic containers when you eat out a restaurant (those were the days). That way, if you have leftovers, you just pack them in your own container and don't have to get a disposable doggie bag container from the restaurant.

What's NOT Included

 Of course, there are a whole host of single-use plastics that are not included:

• Garbage bags - but without grocery check-out bags... we'll have to buy more "real" garbage bags
  
• Milk bags - they still sell milk in bags? Apparently Eastern Canada is still big on this while the West has gone back to milk jugs. Go figure.
  
• Snack food wrappers - chocolate bar wrappers, chips bags, etc.
  
• Disposable personal care items and their packaging - toothbrushes, single-use razors, shampoo bottles, etc, etc.
  
• Beverage containers and lids - to-go coffee and drink cups with their plastic lids. Too bad... that should be the next thing to go though.
  
• Contact lenses and packaging
  
• Cigarette filters - I guess they figure the harm that filters do to the environment is better than the harm that no-filters would do to smokers.
  
• Items used in medical facilities - soooo very many items... all necessary...
  
• Personal protective equipment - masks, etc.
  

And let's not even talk about all the other packaging for everything from screws and nails to toilet paper to bags of rice. And there is no mention of produce bags which makes me wonder... where are they?

I did find an article from the Vancouver Courier which mentioned that Vancouver is banning plastic bags by January 2021 but that produce bags will be exempt. So it looks like plastic produce bags are here to stay for a while.

I looked at some produce bag alternatives... Credo Bags in Montreal, for example. They have produce and bulk bag options. But they are NOT cheap. There is always the option of sew-your-own... but that will have to be another blog post.

Suffice to say... anything we can do to reduce our plastic footprint is a step in the right direction and I am very proud of Canada for making that move.