Canada entered the first phase of its ban on single-use plastics on December 20, 2022. This means the importation and manufacturing of single-use plastic checkout bags, cutlery, food-service ware made from problematic plastics, stir sticks, and straws is prohibited. The sale of these items will be prohibited as of December 2023 and retailers will need to offer suitable alternatives. Retailers were given until December 2023 so they could use up their current stock of these items. You can learn more about this ban by clicking here.
Canadians currently throw away about 4.4 million tonnes of plastic every year. The goal of this ban is to reduce that number by 1.3 million tonnes over 10 years but we also need to be mindful that we don't create more waste from materials such as glass, paper, and metal.
All of this means that your shopping experience in Canada is going to change in 2023. You have likely already seen large retailers remove plastic checkout bags from their cashes, some grocery chains have transitioned to paper bags. Reusable fabric bags are for sale at most retailers and are a great way for them to promote their brand and meet their requirements under the ban. However, these bags are often very generic and lack personality and style.
Success of this ban depends on the willingness of consumers to adapt their behaviour as much as it depends on the government's ability to enforce it. In the past I have been guilty of leaving my bags at home and opting for plastic bags rather than the generic bags offered for sale. The reusable bags offered by retailers just don't jive with my personality or style. I had to train myself to adopt new behaviours and now, when I'm done putting the groceries away, I take the bags back out to the car so that even if I forget to take them in while shopping, I can still load them up from the cart.
If you're having trouble remembering your bags, you are not alone! If returning the bags to your car when you're done with them isn't feasible - maybe you live in an apartment or have limited mobility, or maybe you don't have a car - I have some other tips that can help you remember:
- Put your bags by your front door so you see them and remember them when you're leaving. You can even hang a bag on the door handle to help you remember.
- Add a reminder to bring them to your grocery list - this will only work if you're the type of person who reviews the list as you're about to leave the house. If you're not, add a reminder on the door - it could be as simple as a post-it note or something more crafty, be creative with it.
- Get your family or roommate involved. Ask the people you live with to remind you as you're leaving, if more than one person has it on their mind it's more likely that you're going to remember them.
- Have multiple bags and leave them in multiple places: your car, your partner's car, add a couple to your purse/backpack. Having more than one set of bags is going to set you up for success.
- Buy or make bags that you actually like. If you're like me, you don't want the generic reusable bags available at the checkout, you want something that feels like your own. You're more likely to remember something you're proud to carry around than something you want to hide.
- Take a bag with you "just in case". If you're going out and you don't plan to buy anything, throw a bag in your purse or backpack just in case you get to wherever you're going and there is a fabulous sale on something you've been eyeing for months. Or, maybe you get a craving for bananas. You're going to be glad you had that bag.
At the end of the day, this ban on single-use plastics is designed with the best intentions. Plastic shopping bags have a life expectancy of 1000 years and are used, on average, for about 12 minutes. These bags are often mistaken for food by marine wildlife, especially by sea turtles hunting for jellyfish and 85% of all sea turtles will be killed or injured by plastics in their lifetimes. While paper bags biodegrade much more quickly than plastic bags, they actually create more waste.
The choice is clear: bring your own bag.
