WHO KNEW Our Neighbor to the North Can Inspire Us to Cut Back on Plastics?

Canada is taking plastic pollution more seriously than the US is. By the end of this year, the government will institute a ban on manufacturing or importing the following products: plastic bags, plastic straws, plastic take-out containers, and other single-use plastics like cutlery, stir sticks, and 6-pack carrier rings.

By December 2023, the sale of any of these products will be banned in Canada. By December 2025, the export of these products from Canada to other countries will be banned.

So far there’s no ban on plastic packaging for consumer goods, the number one source of plastic pollution, but Canada will require that it be made of at least 50% recycled content.

So what can we do in the USA, until (with any luck and hard work) we have such climate legislation of our own? In brief, be creative and do the right thing. Use less plastic. Here are some suggestions:

Put some tote bags in your car to use for grocery shopping. Use paper bags instead of plastic ones when buying produce and bulk items. Get some reusable fabric bags for heavy items like apples. Buy a few stainless steel drinking straws and keep them in your glove compartment for your “to go” beverages while you’re on the road. Ask your favorite restaurants if you can use your own container to take leftovers home. If they say no, ask them to get paper to-go containers for their customers. If enough of us ask, maybe they’ll listen.

It’s going to take some time to get food stores to switch to non-plastic containers for prepared foods like salads and deli items, but we have to start somewhere. Ask, ask and ask again and eventually businesses may take the plastic issue as a legitimate customer concern. Meanwhile you can also look for reusable wrapping cloths that can substitute for plastic wrap and sandwich bags.

And let’s tell our elected officials that they must pass legislation to find alternatives to all the plastic we use!