The end is coming for plastic grocery bags, straws and cutlery after the federal government announced today which single-use plastics will be covered by a national ban coming into effect next year.

Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson unveiled the list of soon-to-be-banned items Wednesday morning at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que.

As it was compiling the list, the government said it considered plastics that are harmful to the environment and hard to recycle, and whether there are readily available alternatives.

The single-use plastics that will be banned are:

• Grocery checkout bags
• Straws
• Stir sticks
• Six-pack rings
• Plastic cutlery 
• Food takeout containers made from hard-to-recycle plastics (like black plastic packaging)

The regulations to introduce the ban will be finalized by the end of 2021, said Wilkinson.

“When a ban comes into effect, your local stores will be providing you with alternatives to these plastic products, like reusable or paper bags in place of plastic,” he said.

Read the full and original story at cbc.ca