Ontario Government wishes to ban single-use plastic items such as straws and cutlery.
In a new strategy to limit the amount of waste that is being put into the landfills each year, the Ontario Government has announced that they are considering banning single-use plastics throughout the province. After the government released a discussion paper which outlines their ideas for addressing the waste problem in our province, many Ontarians have seemed to agree with this plan.
The Ontario Government has introduced this new idea in light of recent studies which have shown that nearly a tonne of waste per person in Ontario is accumulated each year. Due to this, almost 10,000 tonnes of plastic is pushed into the Great Lakes each and every year.
If a ban on single-use plastic is to go through, many unnecessary single-use products will be banned from the province such as plastic cutlery, and straws. The government is also looking at putting a deposit-return system for plastic bottles in place, much like what is already in place for beer bottles.
The director at Environment Defence told CTV News that, “the ban on some single-use plastics makes a lot of sense. I think it’s a good conversation to have,”.
Many Ontarians seem to agree. Since Ontario has released these plans to help limit the amount of waste the province is using, Ontarians have been taking to social media to show their overwhelming support for the project that has not yet been approved.
Some industries within Ontario have already started to limit the amount of plastic waste that they serve. A&W throughout Canada recently made the switch from plastic straws to paper straws, while Starbucks released new lids for their cold drinks that allow customers to enjoy their beverage without a straw.
Many Ontarians believe that this ban will be a great first step in the number of changes that need to be made to ensure that we are taking care of the environment properly.
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