British Columbians will want to remember their reusable shopping bags this week, as the province officially bans plastic ones and puts a minimum fee on alternative options.
The changes, which came into effect Monday (July 15), are the latest in a series of moves B.C. has been making to reduce plastic waste since it began rolling out legislation in December 2023.
What's new?
This week, stores will no longer be allowed to offer shoppers plastic bags for their goods and must charge them at least $2.00 for a new reusable shopping bag or $0.25 for a paper bag. The minimum fees are intended to incentivize people to bring their own bags, the province says.
The plastic bag ban does not cover produce bags, which shoppers can still use for free for their fruits and vegetables.
Also beginning this week, food service providers are banned from providing single-use plastic utensils. They can give customers alternative disposable options, such as wooden utensils, but are only supposed to do so if a customer requests it. The same applies for straws, napkins, condiments, garnishes and drink cup lids and sleeves – all of which are only supposed to be provided if they are asked for, not included automatically.
Some new rules also apply to take-out food containers, which can no longer be made of hard-to-recycle plastics. This includes the obvious, such as polystyrene foam, but also compostable plastics – which B.C. says it doesn't have the proper facilities to breakdown – and oxo-degradable plastics – which are marketed as eco-friendly but eventually turn into microplastics.
The same restrictions apply to other food packaging, such as bowls, cups, boxes and egg cartons.
What's still to come?
By July 1, 2028, B.C. says restrictions will also be in place on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film wrap. And, on July 1, 2030, the province plans to extend the rules to foam meat trays as well.
All of the changes fall under the Plastics Action Plan, which aims to reduce plastic waste. In 2019, the province says an estimated 340,000 tonnes of plastic items and packaging were deposited into B.C. landfills – about 143 pounds per resident.
