New plastic ban takes effect Jan. 1 in Vancouver
Vancouver is clamping down further on plastic and container waste. On Jan. 1, new rules go into effect to ban plastic shopping bags, along with new fees to cut down on trash.
Tonnes of plastics and other waste wash up along British Columbia shores every year. In 2018, the City of Vancouver reported about 89 million plastic shopping bags discarded, along with 80 million single use cups.
"As a coastal city, it's important to Vancouver to reduce the amount of plastic pollution," said Monica Kosmak, City of Vancouver senior project manager for the single-use reduction strategy.
No more plastic shopping bags. If you want a paper one, it has to be made of at least 40 per cent recycled content and you'll have to pay a 15-cent fee, rising to 25 cents in 2023.
A minimum 25-cent fee will apply for each single-use beverage cup. Consumers who buy a reusable shopping bag will have to pay a $1 fee, which increases to $2 in 2023.
"I think what we see with the issue of plastic pollution is that it's close to home for people and it's something they can take action on," said Kosmak.
Consumers are already conditioned to think about cutting down waste and reducing garbage. Plastic straws are banned and food vendors are banned from serving prepared food in foam cups and foam take-out containers such as plates, bowls, trays, cartons, and hinged or lidded containers. If consumers want single-use utensils, they have to ask for them.
Vancouver made the bylaw changes under its own charter.
In addition, the province has cleared the way for other municipalities to enact laws to reduce plastic and single-use waste. More than 20 municipalities are already developing bylaws to do that.
CTV News spoke to several consumers about the new rules and no one objected.
One woman we spoke with is quite disgusted with all the packaging she sees in stores.
"It's just unbelievable. Everything's in plastic but they won't give you the plastic bag to put the plastic in. Ban it all," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.