A court in Canada repeals a regulation classifying certain plastic products as toxic, “a decision that could undermine Ottawa’s push to ban single-use plastic items like bags, straws and forks.” Extract from the report: A ban on the manufacture and import of “harmful” single-use plastics came into effect last December after the federal government formally drafted an order adding them to a list of toxic items. But the Federal Court in Ottawa overturned this decision, calling the registration “unreasonable and unconstitutional”. The case was brought by plastic manufacturers such as Dow Inc as well as Imperial.
The office of Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeault has indicated that it is considering an appeal. “We strongly believe that action is needed to combat this crisis and keep millions of trash bags off our beaches, out of our waters and away from nature,” spokesperson Kaitlin Power said in a statement.