The Big Debate: Should single-use plastics be banned?

Plastic bans are increasing around the world, a necessary step to save our environment, writes Sarah King of Greenpeace Canada. Angela Logomasini of the Competitive Enterprise Institute argues that, although well meaning, such bans create more problem than they solve.

In October 2019, the hole in the ozone layer was the smallest it has been since it was detected. Yay, right? It’s been 35 years since the hole was discovered, sparking the scientific community to sound the alarm.

Two years after its discovery, global governments came together to ban the ozone-depleting substances. What does this have to do with banning single-use plastic?

When science confirms that a substance poses a severe and sustained threat to human health, biodiversity or the planet’s ability to support us, the only logical thing to do is to eliminate the threat.

Two years ago, the UN declared plastic pollution a global crisis, not just a threat. This declaration came more than 40 years after plastic pollution was first identified, and more than 30 years since discovery of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch brought real attention to the issue.

Since the UN declared a “War on Ocean Plastics” in 2017, Canada has produced more than 6 million tonnes of plastic waste, about 60,000 tonnes of which has become pollution.

Read the full article at the Toronto Star.