Ban of single-use plastic bags, fee for disposable cups now in effect in Vancouver
New bylaws for single-use items are now in effect in the City of Vancouver.
As of Jan. 1, businesses are now banned from using single-use plastic and compostable plastic shopping bags, and must charge a minimum fee of 15 cents for paper bags, which increases to 25 cents in 2023.
To avoid paying fees, customers can bring their own reusable bags.
The new rules were supposed to come into effect in 2021, but they were pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"As a coastal city, it's important to Vancouver to reduce the amount of plastic pollution," City of Vancouver Senior Project Manager Monica Kosmak told CTV News in December.
Your next coffee run may also be a little more expensive, as disposable cups will now come with price of $0.25.
In 2018, the City of Vancouver reported about 89 million plastic shopping bags were discarded, along with 80 million single-use cups.
The owner of a Vancouver grocery store, Famous Foods, is not anticipating the new rules will cause issues.
"Certainly people in our store will be in favour of this and we are too," Cam Bruce said.
Bruce says a large number of his customers already bring their own reusable bags.
Last July, the provincial government made it legal for local governments to ban single-use plastics without requiring ministerial approval.
“More than 20 municipalities in B.C. are developing bylaws banning single-use plastics. Under the previous regulation, bylaws were approved for the municipalities of Esquimalt, Nanaimo, Richmond, Rossland, Saanich, Surrey, Tofino, Ucluelet and Victoria,” the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy said in a release.
The federal government is also expected to release its new regulations on single-use plastic items sometime in 2022.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ross McLaughlin
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6945600.1719608806!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'We need new leadership': Liberal MP writes to caucus, says Justin Trudeau should resign
A sitting Liberal MP has written to the federal caucus to say he thinks Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should resign. 'For the future of our party and for the good of our country we need new leadership and a new direction,' said New Brunswick MP Wayne Long in the brief note.
WestJet warns of travel disruption as mechanics union opts to 'continue with strike action'
WestJet says it is 'outraged' after its airline maintenance engineers went ahead with their previously threatened strike on Friday evening.
Minivan slams into a Long Island nail salon, killing 4 and injuring 9, fire official says
A minivan slammed into a Long Island nail salon Friday, killing four people and injuring 9, a Suffolk County fire official said.
Ontario MPP removed from PC caucus over 'serious lapses in judgment'
Premier Doug Ford has removed a member of his caucus due to what he’s describing as 'serious lapses in judgment.' In a statement released Friday morning, the premier’s office said MPP Goldie Ghamari had been removed from the Progressive Conservative caucus 'effective immediately.'
Martin Mull, hip comic and actor from 'Fernwood Tonight' and 'Roseanne,' dies at 80
Martin Mull, whose droll, esoteric comedy and acting made him a hip sensation in the 1970s and later a beloved guest star on sitcoms including 'Roseanne' and 'Arrested Development,' has died, his daughter said Friday.
Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan to become first woman to lead Canadian Armed Forces
Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan will be named Canada's new Chief of the Defence Staff, CTV News has learned, making her the first woman to lead the Canadian Armed Forces.
Multivitamins don't help you live longer, study suggests
Millions of people who take multivitamins everyday may not be reaping the perceived health benefits, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Is marriage harder than it was 10 years ago? Why one psychologist thinks so
Marriage might be the oldest institution in the world, but it's struggling to adapt to the pressures of modern life. Registered psychologist Adisa Azubuike explains why it's more difficult today.
Five survivors from Sudbury, Ont., rescued in human trafficking investigation
Six people have been charged in a provincial human trafficking investigation that identified five survivors from Greater Sudbury.