Why Canada’s plastic ban and its choices could backfire for the environmental well-being?

Canada, this week, unveiled its list of six single-use plastic items which will not find their way into the country starting 2021 either through production and import. An ambitious directive which is in line with the poll promises, precautionary principles and a science based assessment of plastic pollution concluded last year.

Plastic bags are easily among the most ubiquitous and now amongst the most banned items among the world. But their most top of the mind alternative, paper bags, could be worst possible choice in the long run. Credited to be environment friendly on the face of it, they have a high environmental footprint (production, transport, their weight vis-à-vis a plastic bag) and isn’t even close to being the last straw when compared strictly in the category which they are a replacement of. The good thing is that the government still hasn’t called out banning a particular thickness category plastic bag and that means an outright ban on all categories within its segment. Allowing thicker versions as has been done in some of the countries recently only means making your problems bigger at a later date.

A surprise entry into the ban are the singled out six-pack rings. I might not be aware of the quantum of its presence in the overall “weight” of SUP universe but as called out by UN framework for deciding which single-use plastics to target while banning, the need is first to identify the most problematic plastics. Going by that logic, the plastic wrapped vegetables would beat six-pack rings hands own when considered by overall weight in the Canadian economy. With most governments, ban where large scale employment and economic well-being is involved, it would be no surprise that next round would come through after many afterthoughts! Plastic wrapped on vegetables could have been done away with quite a long time ago as it serves no purpose and is not recyclable at all.

The science based assessment does not talk about the prevalence of food wrappers in the Canadian context but does talk about its prevalence in the European freshwater environments and ranks it second at 12% under the category. It’s good that context from various sources has been taken but the metrics representing single-plastic in the environment does not find much merit in the decisions considering bans.

There has been mixed successes in various developing countries which came with outright bans without defining many alternatives. To avoid these, a sound choice which Canada needs to make is to pass strict bans under CEPA for easy alternatives such as compostable bags, bio-degradable makeshifts, non-woven shopping bags etc. Paper bags and a phased replaced to more behavioral changes lasting a lifetime is the need of the hour.