The Federal Court of Appeal has overturned a lower court decision, allowing Ottawa to keep its ban on single-use plastics in place.
A 2023 Federal Court decision said Ottawa had overstepped in designating all “plastic manufactured items” as toxic.
But in a unanimous decision Friday, the three-judge panel ruled the federal government’s decision to list plastic-manufactured items as toxic was reasonable.
Ottawa used that designation to implement a ban on the manufacturing and importation of six types of single-use plastics, including straws, grocery bags, stir sticks, and the six-pack rings used to hold soda and beer cans.
The government said it chose those items because they were among the most commonly found litter and had known, accessible alternatives.
The Federal Court further ruled that the government’s decision not to convene a board of review to further assess the environmental risks associated with plastics was also reasonable.
— With files from Mia Rabson
This report from The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2026