The federal court has put down Canada’s ban on single-use plastic on Thursday, saying it is “unreasonable”.
According to the Canadian Press, the court says the decision to list plastic manufactured items as toxic is unreasonable as the category is too broad. In the ruling released on Thursday, Justice Angela Furlanetto said “there is no reasonable apprehension that all listed (plastic manufactured items) are harmful.”
The decision has now quelled a cabinet order that listed plastic manufactured items which includes plastic bags, straws, and takeout containers, as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said in a statement that the federal government is “strongly considering an appeal.” He wrote in a Thursday statement posted on X that “Canadians have been loud and clear that they want action to keep plastic out of our environment.”
“The science is clear: plastic pollution is everywhere in our environment, harming wildlife and their habitats. There is also a growing body of evidence showing impacts on human health. We strongly believe in taking action to tackle this crisis and keep millions of garbage bags worth of trash off our beaches, out of our waters, and away from nature. That’s what we will keep fighting for.”
“The Government of Canada is carefully reviewing the Federal Court judgement and are strongly considering an appeal”, he added. “We will continue to work with provinces, territories, civil society and industry to curb plastic waste and pollution. We will have more to say on next steps soon”, said Guilbeault.
The case, according to the Canadian Press, was brought by the Responsible Plastic Use Coalition and several chemical companies that manufacture plastics, including Dow Chemical and Nova Chemicals.
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