5 Plastic Packaging Alternatives

With new timelines released by the Canadian government on the plastic ban, finding plastic packaging alternatives is more important than ever! The announcement also provides updates to what regulations will be in place, and when we can expect them to come into effect.

We’ve chosen five single use plastic items that the government will be banning at the end of 2022, are providing you some eco-friendly alternatives. Read on to find out more!

When the plastic ban was first announced, many businesses were quick to switch away from plastic straws. Popular alternative materials include paper, sugarcane, PLA, and bamboo!

While you may still be seeing plastic bags in your local grocery stores, they now come at a small price. The Canadian Government cites plastic check-out bags in the list of soon-to-be banned items. There are a number of options that we recommend as alternatives to plastic grocery bags. These include paper bags, reusable bags and reusable net bags.

Especially with the rise of takeout due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to look for alternatives to single-use cutlery. Common material alternatives include bamboo, wood, and even an edible option! As for disposal, since all these options are made of natural materials, they’re compostable in some cities! Make sure

you check with your local waste disposal facility to see if they accept these materials!

The government’s guidelines specify that any “foodservice ware made from or containing problematic plastics that are hard to recycle” are included in their ban. This can range from take out boxes to disposable cups! As alternatives, we recommend options such as packaging made from paper, cornstarch, or sugarcane.

Plastic ring carriers have been an environmental issue for a long time. New innovations in packaging have been introduced to replace their plastic counterparts. For example, E6PR makes drink rings made of natural fibre byproducts and other compostable materials. Paper drink rings have also become more popular as well! These come with the added benefit of being customizable with print. The plastic ban begins to come into effect starting in December, 2022. By staggering the implementation of the regulations, the Canadian government is hoping to ease businesses into the transition. To help you get a better idea of how long you have to search for plastic packaging alternatives, we’ve outlined the timelines set by the government (see below).

In preparation of these deadlines, we recommend starting to explore your options as soon as possible! Overall, LeKAC’s main goal is to provide eco-friendly packaging solutions. In addition to constantly researching and expanding our eco-friendly options, we’re also able to help you source any items that we aren’t able to produce.

PACKAGING BAN TIMELINES