CAN/661/Add.1
WTO/TBT
CA Canada
  • 39 - Matières plastiques et ouvrages en ces matières
2022-08-16
2022-06-21

Refuse sacks and bags, of polymers of ethylene (HS Code 3923219010); Sacks and bags, including cones, of polymers of ethylene (HS Code 3923299090); Sacks and bags, including cones, of plastics (HS Code 3923299000); Utensils, kitchenware, of plastics (HS Code 3924100091); Disposable tumblers & cups of plastics (HS Code 3924100093); Other disposable tableware, of plastics; and (HS Code 3924100094); Kitchenware, of plastics (HS Code 3924100099).; Sacks and bags, incl. cones, of polymers of ethylene (HS 392321); Sacks and bags, incl. cones, of plastics (excl. those of polymers of ethylene) (HS 392329); Tableware and kitchenware, of plastics (HS 392410)

Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations

The Single-Use Plastic Prohibition Regulations prohibit the manufacture, import and sale of six categories of single-use plastic items (i.e., single-use plastic checkout bags, cutlery, food service ware made from or containing problematic plastics, ring carriers, stir sticks and straws). The Regulations contain a temporary exemption on the manufacture and import for the purposes of export which expires 42 months after the Regulations are registered. Checkout bags, cutlery, and straws have reusable substitutes so the Regulations identify performance standards to differentiate between single-use and reusable items for these three product categories. The Regulations provide exemptions for straws to accommodate people with disabilities. These exemptions are linked to the conditions upon which straws are sold.

The prohibition on manufacture and import for five of the six SUPs (check-out bags, cutlery, foodservice ware made from or containing problematic plastics, stir sticks and straws) will come into force 6 months after the Regulations are registered and the prohibition on sale of these five items will come into force 18 months after the Regulations are registered. The prohibition on import and manufacture of ring carriers and single-use plastic flexible straws packaged with a beverage (e.g., juice boxes, tetra packs) will come into force one year after the Regulations are registered and the prohibition on the sale of these items will come into force 24 months after the Regulations are registered.

For all six SUPs, the prohibition on manufacturing, import or sale for the purposes of export will come into force 42 months after registration.

The six categories of single-use plastic items subject to the Regulations are commonly found on Canadian shorelines and terrestrial litter clean-ups. The Government estimates that the Regulations would prevent 23,000 tonnes of plastic pollution over a period of ten years. A range of evidence sources, including peer-reviewed studies, show that the items, when littered, likely pose a threat of harm to wildlife through entanglement, ingestion or habitat disruption.

The six categories of single-use plastic items also present barriers to fostering a circular economy in Canada that would keep plastics in the economy and out of the environment because they have low recycling rates, are known to hamper recycling or wastewater treatment systems, and have barriers to increasing recycling rates. Eliminating these products from the Canadian market would remove key irritants from value recovery systems and improve their efficiency.