Canada's single-use plastics ban for restaurants: bags, cutlery, straws and takeout containers

If you hand a guest a plastic bag, a fork or a foam clamshell, the federal Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations may apply to what you bought and what you give out. The rules have been in force for several years, but suppliers still sell items that are on the list, and owners still reorder what they know. The federal government's own pages are the authority.

What does the ban cover?

The regulations prohibit the manufacture, import and sale of six categories: checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware made from or containing problematic plastics, ring carriers, stir sticks and straws. The government's overview page was updated in March 2026 and says the regulations remain in force. It also notes that the Federal Court of Appeal's decision of 30 January 2026 upholds the listing of plastic manufactured items under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

What counts as each item?

• Checkout bags are bags designed to carry purchased goods from a business. The government's guidance notes that single-use plastic checkout bags have also been used to deliver groceries and takeout meals from a restaurant.
• Cutlery is knives, forks, spoons, sporks and chopsticks.
• Foodservice ware is designed for serving or transporting food or drink that is ready to be consumed, and contains expanded or extruded polystyrene foam, polyvinyl chloride, carbon black or oxo-degradable plastic. The covered items are clamshell containers, lidded containers, boxes, cups, plates and bowls.
• Straws include straight drinking straws and flexible straws packaged with juice boxes or pouches. Flexible straws that are not packaged with drinks are excluded from the prohibition under certain conditions.
• Stir sticks are the small sticks used to stir drinks.

Black plastic is on the list because of carbon black. A black takeout tub is therefore likely to be covered, whatever it is called by the supplier.

What are the dates?

Manufacture and import for sale in Canada were prohibited from 20 December 2022 for checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware, stir sticks and straws. Sale was prohibited from 20 December 2023. Ring carriers followed: manufacture and import from 20 June 2023 and sale from 20 June 2024. Flexible straws packaged with beverage containers were prohibited for sale from 20 June 2024. Manufacture, import and sale for export were prohibited from 20 December 2025.

Can you still offer a flexible straw?

Yes, under conditions. The guidance says retailers may sell packages of multiple single-use plastic flexible straws if they are kept out of public view and offered on request. It also says hospitals, long-term care facilities and other care institutions keep access for patients and residents who need them. A guest who needs a straw for a medical or access reason should not be refused one.

What should you buy instead?

The government's guidance names reusable alternatives such as glass, stainless steel, silicone and rigid recyclable plastic containers, and mentions customers bringing their own containers and deposit-and-refund systems. Plant-based or fibre-based products may help if they are certified compostable, but it says to confirm your local recycling or organics program accepts them. A compostable box that goes in the garbage in your city solves nothing.

How do you check your supplies?

1. Make a list of every takeout item you buy: bags, tubs, lids, cups, cutlery, straws, stir sticks.
2. Ask your supplier for the material of each, in writing.
3. Replace anything made of, or containing, foam, PVC, black plastic or oxo-degradable plastic.
4. Look at your online orders: what goes into the bag with a delivery?
5. Train staff to hand out cutlery on request, not by default.

The overview page lists the Canada Gazette, Part II and the Justice Canada texts as the authority over its summary. Penalties and inspection are not discussed on the pages used here, so ask the supplier for a written statement that its products comply.

Where is more help?

Provincial and city rules can add to the federal list, so ask your municipality. For permits and setup, see how to open a restaurant in Ontario or how to open a restaurant in BC. For the food-safety side of takeout packaging, see food truck licences in Toronto and Vancouver.

More in the Canadian guides for food businesses.