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

Canada will ban single-use plastics from 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced.

Once the legislation is in force, the government will establish the objectives that companies that manufacture or sell plastics will have to take responsibility for plastic waste. Currently less than 10% of waste is recycled in the North American country. About 3 million tons of plastic waste are thrown away each year in the country.

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, silverware, plates, and stirrers.

“As parents, we are at a point where we take our children to the beach and we have to find a piece of sand that is not littered with straws, Styrofoam or bottles,” Trudeau said.

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