The Government of Canada Monday published its final regulations that aim to prohibit the sale of single-use plastics by December 2023.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault and Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos aim to regulate and prohibit single-use plastics, including checkout bags, cutlery, and straws with some exceptions.

The manufacture and importation of single-use plastics will be banned in December 2022. However, specific case exceptions will be included, including medically-necessary flexible straws. In order to allow businesses in Canada to transition away from single-use plastics and “to deplete their existing stocks,” the sale of single-use plastics will officially be prohibited in December 2023. Further, the Canadian Government “will also prohibit the export of [banned] plastics … by the end of 2025[.]”

The Canadian government will collaborate with organizations within Canada and internationally to advance its goal of zero plastic waste worldwide. Due to Canada’s commitment to preventing plastic waste, the Canadian Government contributed “$100 million to help developing countries prevent plastic waste from entering the oceans, address plastic waste on shorelines, and better manage existing plastic resources.”