B.C. preps packaging changes that could include ban on plastic bags
Credit to Author: Rob Shaw| Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2020 23:14:17 +0000
VICTORIA — The B.C. government is preparing to introduce new bans on single-use plastic products, like grocery bags, as well as boosted options for recycling.
The changes will be introduced within weeks and are intended to create a provincewide plan following the differing actions of major cities like Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria, according to a statement by the Ministry of Environment.
“Those actions could include bans on several kinds of single-use packaging, expanding producer responsibility for plastic recycling, stepping up our bottle deposit system, and other appropriate policy or regulatory changes,” the ministry said in a statement Thursday.
“The co-ordinated series of actions will be announced in the coming weeks and will align with efforts of local and regional governments. It will take all levels of government working together to make the difference so many Canadians want to see.”
Municipalities across the province have tackled plastic bags, styrofoam food containers, plastic straws and other polluting items in different ways, leading to a patchwork of regulations and timelines.
Surrey wants to ban plastic single-use plastic bags by January 2021, Mayor Doug McCallum announced this week, with a vote on the plan next month.
“In this day and age where we all can play a role in curbing waste and consumption, there is no reason not to have a reusable shopping bag close at hand for bagging groceries or other goods,” said McCallum.
Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum.
Vancouver has a phased plan to ban plastic straws in April and plastic shopping bags by 2021. The city also banned popular white foam takeout food containers — made using polystyrene — on Jan. 1, due to the difficulty of recycling the products.
Meanwhile, the federal government has said it plans to ban single-use plastic bags, straws, cutlery, plates and stir sticks as early as 2021.
The B.C. government was dragged into the issue after the City of Victoria tried and failed to ban plastic shopping bags last year. A city bylaw that forbid businesses from providing plastic bags was struck down by the B.C. Court of Appeal last year after it was found to be environmental regulation that required approval the city did not have from the provincial government.
The city is appealing the ruling to the Supreme Court of Canada, saying it has the power to regulate its own businesses.
The province launched a public consultation on not only banning certain single-use products, but also instituting fees on those shoppers who forget to bring their own bags, expanding recycling options and boosting the plastic bottle and beverage container return network. More than 35,000 responses were submitted to the government website.
The provincial discussion paper noted that a ban on single-use plastic bags also comes with consequences, mainly that it requires up to four times as much energy to manufacture a bio-degradable paper bag, and produces two times the greenhouse gas emissions as plastics.
CLICK HERE to report a typo.
Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.