On December 25, 2021, the Liberal government finally released draft regulations to ban six kinds of “harmful” single-use plastic in Canada: straws and stir sticks, six-pack rings, grocery bags, cutlery, and difficult to recycle takeout containers. A final decision on when the ban will come into force will be made after the consultation period, which is open until March 5, 2022.
Studies have found that up to 15 billion plastic bags are used every year and close to 57 million straws are used daily. Single-use plastics make up most of the plastic litter that is found in freshwater environments. Of the 3.3 million tonnes of plastic waste generated nationally in 2016, only 0.3 million tonnes (9%) were recycled and 2.8 million tonnes (86%) were landfilled.
What about non-conventional plastics such as compostable and biodegradable plastics?
We all have seen plastic straws that are made from plant-based plastics labeled “biodegradable” and “compostable” on their packaging.
While compostable and biodegradable plastics may sound like a perfect solution to replace conventional plastics, there are several problems that make them an undesirable substitute. Non-conventional plastics often do not fully compost in the short time frame at municipal compost facilities, which ends up contaminating the compost stream and leading to a lower quality product.
In addition, compostable plastics look very similar to conventional plastics. This mixing of compostable and conventional plastics can therefore contaminate the recycling stream and reduce recycling recovery rates.
As a result, the federal government has stated that the proposed regulations would treat single-use items made from non-conventional plastics in the same manner as their conventional plastics counterparts.
What can I use for my drink, especially for bubble tea?
KAC strongly encourages consumers to use reusable straws. There are reusable straws made of various materials such as metal, glass, and silicone in the market. But in case these are not accessible, a paper straw is the most recommended alternative by the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. KAC offers regular-sized paper straw and bubble tea straw that contain neither conventional nor non-conventional plastics, which can also withstand over 3 hours of use in both hot and cold drinks. We also provide fully custom printing options to let you create your own design on your paper straw.
Interested in learning more? Please feel free visit our product page or contact us at info@kacsupply.ca for more details.
Update: Apr, 2022
