Montreal wants to ban single-use plastics by 2020

Montreal says it plans to introduce a bylaw banning single-use
items such as plastics and polystyrene foam containers by spring 2020.

The city said Wednesday it was inspired by jurisdictions such as Vancouver, which announced its own ban, likely coming next year.

READ: Victoria to ban single-use plastic bags

Mayor Valerie Plante said her administration would hold consultations on the bylaw and would move slowly to help businesses transition.

Pollution from single-use plastics and polystyrene is a major environmental problem, Plante said in a statement. She added plastic containers can take several hundred years to decompose.

"The time when we put off decisions to protect the environment because they upset our daily habits is over," Plante said. "Time is running out and we need to act now."

In 2018, the city issued a ban on plastic bags that covers the distribution of lightweight plastic bags with a thickness of less than 50 microns as well as biodegradable bags, which contain an additive that causes them to decompose in heat and light.

There is an exception for the thin bags that are used in grocery stores to transport fruit and vegetables to the cash register or to wrap up meat.