SG 087.22
Canada is regulating six categories of single-use plastic product. The provisions in the new law will be implemented in phases, starting in December 2022.
On June 22, 2022, Canada issued its Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations (SOR/2022-138, the Regulation) to prohibit the manufacture, import and sale of six categories of single-use plastic:
- Checkout bags
- Cutlery
- Foodservice ware
- Ring carriers
- Stir sticks
- Straws
The new law contains, among other items, several important provisions:
- Defines these six-categories of single-use plastics as products made entirely or in part from plastic
- Exempts single-use plastic flexible straws – these are single-use plastic straws having a corrugated section that allows the straw to bend and maintain its position at various angles
- Requires any physical characteristics of single-use plastic check out bags, single-use plastic cutlery, single-use plastic flexible straws, single-use plastic foodservice ware or single-use plastic straws to be analyzed by an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab where the accreditation body is a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ILAC MRA), or under the Environmental Quality Act. Additionally, the analysis of the physical characteristic test must be accredited, otherwise the analysis must be performed in accordance with standards of good scientific practice
- Provides a temporary exemption on manufacture, import and sale for the purposes of export, for all categories of single-use plastics until December 19, 2025 – 42 months after the Regulation is registered
- Requires record keeping by manufacturers for export, or imports for the purpose of exports, for at least five years at the person’s principal place of business in Canada or at any place in Canada where they can be inspected
The provisions in the new law will be implemented in phases, starting December 20, 2022.
Highlights of the new law are summarized in Table 1.
Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations: SOR/2022-138, Registration: June 20, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
| Prohibited (manufacture or import)¹ | December 20, 2022 |
| Prohibited (sale)² | December 20, 2023 | ||
| 2 |
| Prohibited (manufacture or import) | December 20, 2022 |
| Prohibited (sale) | December 20, 2023 | ||
| 3 |
| Prohibited (manufacture or import) | June 20, 2023 |
| Prohibited (sale) | June 20, 2024 | ||
¹Single-use plastic flexible straws are exempt
| |||
Table 1
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