Giving Compass' Take:

• It's been eight months since Canada announced its single-use plastic ban, and progress is still ongoing after launching a report on the impact of larger pieces of plastic and microplastic on the natural environment and wildlife. 

• How will a single-use plastics ban affect Canadian citizens? 

• Read more about the single-use plastic ban.

It has been almost eight months since prime minister Justin Trudeau promised that Canada would get rid of single-use plastics. Last June he launched a scientific assessment, required by the Canadian Environmental Protection Act in order to implement such a ban, and a draft version was just published on Thursday.

The report looked at both macroplastics and microplastics. Macroplastics are larger pieces that animals may ingest or tangled in, such as shopping bags, toothbrushes, and nylon ropes. These interfere with their ability to breathe, digest food, and feel hunger, often resulting in starvation and death. The harmful effects of macroplastics are indisputably clear.

According to the CBC, the report is less certain when it comes to the impact of microplastics, which are small plastic fragments measuring less than 5 mm. These result when larger pieces of plastic break down in the natural environment, or when synthetic fabric shed tiny fibers in the laundry. Scientists do not understand the full impact on wildlife and humans, who ingest these fragments inadvertently, so the government says it will fund a $2.2-million study over the next two years to look into it further.

No list of banned products has been released yet, but Canadians can expect it in the next several months. It will likely include plastic shopping bags, straws, disposable cutlery, cotton swabs with plastic sticks, drink stirrers, and takeout food containers and cups made of expanded polystyrene.

Read the full article about single-use plastics by Katherine Martinko at TreeHugger.