The single-use plastic ban trades higher waste and environmental costs for a negligible impact on global plastic pollution.

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Recently, the Federal Court of Appeal upheld the federal government’s classification of plastic items as “toxic,” allowing Ottawa to continue its ban on several types of single-use plastics, including straws, grocery bags, cutlery and takeout containers — purportedly in response to global plastic pollution.

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Yet, despite the court ruling, this Justin Trudeau-era policy remains deeply flawed. Canada’s plastics ban will have a negligible impact on global plastic pollution, yet will increase waste here at home and force a shift toward substitute items with higher overall environmental impacts.

First, the federal government’s own assessment (cited in the recent ruling) acknowledges that 99% of Canada’s plastic waste is already disposed of safely through incineration, recycling and........

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