Edmonton inches toward banning single-use items

Edmonton is closer to banning disposable plastic bags, cups andcontainersafter city council gave its initial thumbs-up Monday to a proposed bylaw on single-use items.

The bylaw would prohibitbusinesses from giving out single-use plastic shopping bags and from serving take-out food and drinks in Styrofoam containers.

Businesses will be required to charge a minimum fee for paper bags and reusable bags.

Disposable utensils, straws and napkins can only be given out when customers ask for them.

When might the ban start?

Council unanimously passed first reading of the bylaw during a meeting at city hall.

The public will have a chance to give feedback at a public hearing in Septemberbefore council can give it second and third readings and put it to a vote.

If passed, the new ruleswould take effect July 1, 2023.

Coun. Aaron Paquettesaid he is optimistic the bylaw will pass and help reduce waste.

"It'll cut down on junk on the litter on the filthy boulevards and the roadsides, to some extent," he said.

Paquette said the single-use disposable "way of living" isn't sustainable, nor is recycling the answer.

"We'll still need it, we'll still engage in it but there's a limited amount of times plastic can be recycled and there's also limited amounts of plastic that can be recycled for a first time."

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The citysays each year, Edmontonians throw away an estimated 450 million single-use items, from straws and coffee cups to shopping bags and takeout containers. Most endup in the waste collection system but others are litteredon streets and in parks.

Under the bylaw, restaurants and cafes will have to serve dine-in drink orders in reusable cups and develop a policy to accept customer-supplied reusable cups.

The ban coversitems made from a range of materials, including conventional plastics, alternative plastics that may be compostable or biodegradable, wood, bamboo and paper.

If passed, businesses would have to charge 15 cents for paper bags starting July 1, 2023 and charge 25 cents afterJuly 1, 2024.

Personal protective equipment, like face masks,isnot included in the bylaw, the report says.

Charitable exemptions

Charitable organizations that serve a social purpose, like providing emergency shelter, meals,groceries, clothing or hygiene products to vulnerable residents, would be exempt.

Meals on Wheels, for example, uses plastic bags to package and deliver hundreds of meals a day.

Sonja Zacharko, executive director for Meals on Wheels Edmonton, said they appreciate the buffer zone while they look for other ways to deliver food.

"We don't like using plastic. We'd love to get away from it," she told CBC News Tuesday.

No fees for cups, containers

Sean Stepchuk, a co-founder of Waste Free Edmonton, said his organization is pleased that the city is taking a broad approach with the materials outlined in the bylaw.

"We hope that this will not only cause a direct reduction in waste, but will also generate a conversation whereby people and businesses consider waste impacts more generally when making decisions," he said.

• Time to toss single-use plastic bags in Edmonton, group says

The non-profit organization has been advocating for a comprehensive single-use item bylaw for years, he noted.

The proposed bylaw doesn't includefees for cups and containers and Stepchuk said that's something he'd like to see added in the future.

Time to transition

The federal government will ban single-use plastics, includingcheckout bags, cutlery, takeout ware,stir sticks and straws, but some of those bans will take time to go into effect.

The federal rules prohibit companies from making and importing most of the plastics by the end of this year, but goods currently in the system can be sold for another year.

Christina Hodgson, a lawyer with the city, said Edmonton can make changes along with the federal legislation if needed.

"We think getting this bylaw out to really hit 80 per cent really, the large issues is a really good step forward for right now," Hodgson said.