OTTAWA, June 10 (Reuters) - Canada plans to ban some environmentally harmful single-use plastics like straws, bags and cutlery by early 2021 to reduce waste and litter and protect the world's oceans, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday.

Trudeau announced the move from the banks of a lake in Gault Nature Reserve in Quebec less than five months before a national election in which climate change and pollution are widely expected to be among the top campaign issues. (Reporting by Steve Scherer and David Ljunggren Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) </s> Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that Canada will ban single-use plastics by as early as 2021.

Speaking to reporters near Montreal, Trudeau said a list of items that will be banned was not yet prepared, but the government is planning to research which plastics should be eliminated.

MAINE IS FIRST STATE OF BAN SINGLE-USE PLASTIC-FOAM CONTAINERS

"We need to cover all of Canada with this decision and that's why the federal government is moving forward on a science-based approach to establishing which harmful single-use plastics we will be eliminating as of 2021," the prime minister said, according to CBC News.

A source told the news outlet that the list might include plastic plates, cotton swabs, drink stirrers, and polystyrene cups.

Trudeau added that the government will make it the responsibility of businesses to manage what plastics they create and sell.

The prime minister also said it's "tough trying to explain" to his children why "dead whales [are] washing up on beaches around the world, their stomachs jam-packed with plastic bags," Reuters reported.

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“As parents, we’re at a point when we take our kids to the beach and we have to search out a patch of sand that isn’t littered with straws, Styrofoam or bottles. That’s a problem, one that we have to do something about," Trudeau said.

The decision by Canada comes after European Union lawmakers voted earlier this year to also ban single-use plastics by 2021. </s> TORONTO – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada plans to ban single-use plastics as early as 2021.

Trudeau says a science-based review will determine which products to ban. The government is considering items such as water bottles, plastic bags and straws.

Trudeau said Monday his government is looking at what the European Union did and drawing inspiration from its model.

“Canadians know first-hand the impacts of plastic pollution, and are tired of seeing their beaches, parks, streets, and shorelines littered with plastic waste. We have a responsibility to work with our partners to reduce plastic pollution, protect the environment, and create jobs and grow our economy. We owe it to our kids to keep the environment clean and safe for generations to come,” Trudeau said.

The European Parliament overwhelmingly voted in March to impose a wide-ranging ban on single-use plastics to counter pollution from discarded items that end up in waterways and fields. EU member states have given their support, but need to vote on the measure for it to go into effect. </s> Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that Canada will begin banning all single-use plastics in 2021. Trudeau said Canada had a unique opportunity to take the lead as the country with the world's longest coastline. Straws, plastic bags, cutlery, plates, and stir sticks would be among the items banned, a government statement said.

“I am very pleased to announce that as early as 2021 Canada will ban harmful, single-use plastics from coast to coast,” Trudeau said. Less than 10 percent of plastics are currently recycled in Canada, according to the prime minister.

At current rates, plastic is expected to outweigh all the fish in the sea by 2050, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. Hundreds of thousands of seabirds ingest plastic every year, according to the Center. Ingesting plastic reduces bird's stomach volume, causing starvation. “To be honest as a dad it is tough trying to explain to my kids,” Trudeau said. “How do you explain dead whales washing up on beaches across the world, their stomachs jam packed with plastic bags? How do I tell them that against all odds, you will find plastic at the very deepest point of the Pacific Ocean.” </s> Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Friday, June 7, 2019. (Philippe Wojazer/Pool via AP)

Less than 10 per cent of plastic used in Canada gets recycled

Canada will ban single-use plastics as early as 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.

Trudeau said the specific items to be banned will be determined based on a science-based review, but the government is considering items such as water bottles, plastic bags and straws.

“As early as 2021, Canada will ban harmful single-use plastics from coast to coast,” Trudeau said.

READ MORE: Liberals to announce plan to ban single-use plastics as early as 2021

Trudeau said his government is drawing inspiration from the European Union’s Parliament, which voted overwhelmingly in March to impose a wide-ranging ban on single-use plastics to counter pollution from discarded items that end up in waterways and fields. Legislatures of the EU member states must vote on the measure before it takes effect.

“Many other countries are doing that and Canada will be one of them,” Trudeau said. “This is a big step but we know can do this for 2021.”

Less than 10 per cent of plastic used in Canada gets recycled. The government said that 1 million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals worldwide are injured or die each year when they mistake plastic for food or become entangled.

The EU’s measure would affect a range of plastic products for which reasonable alternatives exist, from straws to earbuds, starting in 2021.

Disposable utensils would not be completely off-limits, but the EU measure calls for them to be made of sustainable materials when possible. The EU legislation also sets a goal of having 90 per cent of plastic bottles recycled by 2025 and of halving the litter from the 10 items that turn up in oceans most often.

The EU estimated the changes will cost the bloc’s economy 259 million to 695 million euros a year ($291 million to $781 million). It’s not clear what the cost would be for Canada.

China’s decision to no longer import some of the EU’s waste helped spur the plastics ban.

China banned the import of plastic waste last year, causing other Southeast Asian nations to become new destinations. The Philippines, complaining of being treated like a dumpsite by wealthier nations, shipped 69 containers of what its officials called illegally transported garbage back to Canada in May.

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Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. </s> Canada will ban single-use plastics from 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday, declaring it a "global challenge" to phase out the bottles, straws and plastic bags clogging the world's oceans.

"I am very pleased to announce that as early as 2021 Canada will ban harmful, single-use plastics from coast to coast," Trudeau said, arguing Canada has a unique chance to lead to fight against plastic pollution as the country with the world's longest coastline.

Trudeau said that in Canada less than 10 percent of plastics are currently recycled.

Each year a million birds and more than 100,000 marine mammals worldwide suffer injury or death by becoming entangled in plastic or ingesting it through the food chain.

"You've all heard the stories and seen the photos. And to be honest as a dad it is tough trying to explain to my kids," Trudeau said.

"How do you explain dead whales washing up on beaches across the world, their stomachs jam packed with plastic bags? How do I tell them that against all odds, you will find plastic at the very deepest point of the Pacific Ocean."

Straws, plastic bags, cutlery, plates and stir sticks would be among the items banned, a government statement said. </s> Canada has set a goal to ban single-use plastics by as early as 2021 in a measure aimed at reducing waste that ends up in the ecosystem, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday.

Single-use plastics such as bags, straws and cutlery will be prohibited in the country, which throws away about 3 million metric tons of plastic waste yearly, the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement. The initiative will also include targets for companies that manufacture or sell plastic products to responsibly dispose of their waste.

“This is a problem we simply can’t afford to ignore,” the statement said.

Currently, Canada recycles just 10% of its plastic. According to the Canadian government, over 1 million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals worldwide die or become injured due to plastics every year.

“As parents we’re at a point when we take our kids to the beach and we have to search out a patch of sand that isn’t littered with straws, Styrofoam or bottles,” Trudeau said, according to the BBC.

“That’s a problem, one that we have to do something about.”

Canada follows in the footsteps of a host of other countries that have also set targets to ban single-use plastics in the coming years. In March, the European Union voted overwhelmingly to ban straws, food containers and cotton bud sticks, among other plastics by 2021. Last year, India pledged to eliminate all single-use plastic in the country by 2022.

Trudeau’s announcement also comes after both Malaysia and the Philippines announced plans to send tons of non-recyclable waste back to the countries of origin, including Canada. Increasingly, Southeast Asian nations are pushing back against becoming a dumping ground for wealthier countries after China barred the import of scrap plastic last year.

Canada has pledged to repatriate its rubbish.

“We owe it to our kids to keep the environment clean and safe for generations to come,” Trudeau said. </s> Canada will ban single-use plastics from 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday, declaring it a “global challenge” to phase out the plastic bags, straws and cutlery clogging the world’s oceans.

“I am very pleased to announce that as early as 2021, Canada will ban harmful, single-use plastics from coast to coast,” Trudeau said, arguing Canada has a unique chance to lead the fight against plastic pollution as the country with the world’s longest coastlines.

Less than 10 percent of plastics used in Canada are currently recycled, he said.

Each year a million birds and more than 100,000 marine mammals worldwide suffer injury or death by becoming entangled in plastic or ingesting it through the food chain — with single-use items representing some 70 percent of the plastic waste littering the marine environment.

“You’ve all heard the stories and seen the photos. And to be honest, as a dad it is tough trying to explain this to my kids,” Trudeau said.

“How do you explain dead whales washing up on beaches around the world, their stomachs jam-packed with plastic bags?”

“How do I tell them that against all odds, you will find plastic at the very deepest point of the Pacific Ocean?”

“People around the world are grappling with this every day,” Trudeau said. “As parents we’re at a point where we take our kids to the beach and we have to search out a patch of sand that isn’t littered with straws, styrofoam or bottles.

Straws, plastic bags, cutlery, plates and stir sticks would be among the items banned, a government statement said. The list will be refined based on further scientific research between now and 2021.

Trudeau said producers of other plastics — such as bottles or food packaging — will be held responsible for “the entire life-cycle” of their products.

Both plastic manufacturers and the companies using their products, as in packing materials, will have to provide recycling plans.

Canada, France, Germany, Britain and Italy, along with the European Union, subscribed at last year’s G7 summit in Quebec to a new charter against pollution in the world’s oceans. The United States and Japan did not join the pact.

The non-binding Ocean Plastics Charter called on participating countries and the EU to commit to making all plastics reusable, recyclable or recovered by 2030.

A total of 21 governments have by now taken that pledge, Trudeau said. In addition, the EU earlier this year passed legislation this year to ban single-use plastic products starting in 2021.

Several Canadian cities already ban the use of plastic bags — Montreal passed its ban last year — and some provinces have banned other products.

But Trudeau said a “national solution” was needed.

“Every year, Canadians throw away over three million tons of plastic waste,” the prime minister said in a statement. “This represents up to $8 billion per year in lost value and wastes valuable resources and energy.”

Recycling, he said, would not only cut down on pollution but would help produce 42,000 jobs in the recycling and recovery businesses.

The environment is shaping up as a key issue in Canadian legislative elections set for October, with Trudeau’s main challenger vowing if he wins to roll back environmental protections, including a federal carbon tax and a tanker traffic ban along a pristine part of the Pacific coast.

And while Trudeau has declared it a top priority, a recent parliamentary report concluded Canada is doing too little to combat climate change, even as government scientists warned the country was warming at twice the global rate. </s> Canada will ban "harmful" single-use plastics as early as 2021 in a bid to reduce ocean waste, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced.

This initiative is modelled on similar legislation passed last year by the European Union and other nations.

Canada will also establish "targets" for companies that manufacture or sell plastics to be responsible for their plastic waste.

Currently less than 10% of plastic used in Canada gets recycled.

In May, the United Nations said 180 countries reached a deal to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the world's oceans, where it can harm fish, sea turtles, whales and other wildlife.

The Canadian government has yet to decide which single-use plastic products will be included on the list but it could target plastic bags, straws, cutlery, plates and stir sticks.

About 3m tonnes of plastic waste is thrown away each year in the country.

"As parents we're at a point when we take our kids to the beach and we have to search out a patch of sand that isn't littered with straws, Styrofoam or bottles," Mr Trudeau said.

"That's a problem, one that we have to do something about."

In October 2018, the EU voted for a complete ban on a range of single-use plastics across the union in a bid to stop pollution of the oceans.

The EU hopes it will go into effect across the bloc by 2021.

That included a ban on plastic cutlery and plates, cotton buds, straws, drink-stirrers and balloon sticks and a reduction in single-use plastic for food and drink containers like plastic cups.

The prime minister made the announcement a few months before the next general election, which is scheduled for this coming autumn.

Issues like climate change and pollution are widely expected to be among the top concerns on the campaign trail.

Across Canada, a number of municipalities and some provinces have recently moved ahead with various single-use plastics bans, mainly targeting plastic bags.

Mr Trudeau acknowledged those efforts and said "a real solution needs to be nation-wide".
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces that Canada will ban all single-use plastics as early as 2021 in a bid to significantly reduce plastic pollution.