MEJIA, ALIAKBARI: Next fed gov’t should reverse Trudeau’s plastics ban

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Recently at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order reversing the Biden administration’s plan to phase out plastic straws. The Trudeau government, however, continues with its plan to ban single-use plastics, even though this prohibition will have minimal impact worldwide, will actually increase waste in Canada, and force a transition to alternatives that impose greater environmental harm. Rather than doubling down on a flawed policy, the next federal government should reverse Trudeau’s plastic ban.

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In 2021, the Trudeau government classified plastic items as “toxic,” paving the way for the ban on the manufacturing, importing and selling of checkout bags, cutlery, stir sticks and straws — all single-use plastics. In 2023, the Federal Court deemed the designation “unreasonable and unconstitutional” — but the Trudeau government defended the measure and is appealing, with a ruling expected this year. According to the latest available data, Canada’s contributes 0.04% to global plastic waste. The U.S. contributes 0.43% — more than 10 times Canada’s share. But neither country is a major contributor to overall global plastic waste.

According to a 2024 article published in Nature, a leading scientific journal, no western country ranks among the top-90 global plastic polluters, thanks to their near-total waste collection and controlled disposal systems. Conversely, eight countries — India, Nigeria, Indonesia, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia and Brazil — generate more than half of global plastic waste. And nearly 75% of the world’s ocean plastic comes from Asia with only six countries (Philippines, India, Malaysia, China, Indonesia and Myanmar) accounting for most of the world’s ocean plastic pollution.

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The Trudeau government’s own science assessment, cited in the court appeal, states that 99% of Canada’s plastic waste is already disposed of safely through recycling, incinerating and environmentally-friendly landfills. Despite these facts, plastic has become a target for blanket restrictions without fully considering its benefits or the downsides of switching to alternatives.

Consider this. Plastics are lightweight, durable and indispensable to modern life. From medical devices, food packaging, construction materials, textiles, electronics and agricultural equipment, plastics play a critical role in sectors that improve living standards.

Alternatives to plastic come with their own environmental cost. Again, according to the government’s own analysis, banning single-use plastics will actually increase waste generation rather than reduce it. While the government expects to remove 1.5 million tonnes of plastics by 2032 with the prohibition, it will generate nearly twice as much that weight in waste from alternatives such as paper, wood and aluminum over the same period. Put simply, the ban will result in more, not less, waste in Canada.

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And there’s more. Studies suggest plastic substitutes such as paper are heavier, require more water and energy to be produced, demand more energy to transport, contribute to greater smog formation, present more ozone depletion potential and result in higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

As noted by the Trudeau government, plastic substitutes contribute to lower air quality and “typically have higher climate change impacts” due to higher GHG emissions .

While plastic pollution is a pressing global environmental issue, Canada is not a major contributor to this problem. The rationale behind the Trudeau government’s plastic ban lacks foundation, and as major economies, including the U.S., go back to plastic, Canada’s plastic prohibition becomes increasingly futile. The next federal government, whoever that may be, should reverse this plastic ban, which will do more harm than good.

Julio Mejia and Elmira Aliakbari are analysts at the Fraser Institute

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