million plastic straws were thrown in the garbage in Vancouver in 2018
In Vancouver, 86% of residents see the importance of reducing single-use items.
Single-use item waste is generated in staggering amounts and is a significant component of street and shoreline litter.
Despite their convenience, these items:
- Cost Vancouver taxpayers about $2.5 million per year to collect from public waste bins and to clean up as litter in our parks, streets, and green spaces
- Are often not recycled or composted
- Take up valuable space in our landfill
- Have a lasting impact on our environment long after being used for a short period of time
- Require a significant amount of resources to produce
The single-use cup by-law is no longer in effect starting May 1, 2023.
As a result, we will be updating the information on this page. Check back soon for updates.
Impact in Vancouver
million single-use utensils were thrown in the garbage in Vancouver in 2018
million single-use cups were thrown in the garbage in Vancouver in 2018
million plastic and 4 million paper shopping bags were thrown in the garbage in Vancouver in 2018
of Vancouverites think quick-serve restaurants or cafes should provide reusable dishware for eating in
Note Statistics for items thrown in the garbage do not include the unknown number of items littered in the natural environment.
Timeline
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Feb 2016
Council directs staff to report back on regulatory options
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Oct 2016
Phase 1 consultation
How to address regulations in Zero Waste 2040
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Jun 2017 to Feb 2018
Phase 2 consultation
Actions to include in a strategy
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Mar to Apr 2018
Phase 3 consultation
Finalize draft strategy
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Jun 5, 2018
Strategy approved by Council
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Jan to Apr 2019
Phase 4 consultation
By-law details and implementation plans
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Apr 29, 2019
Council adopted by-law to ban foam cups and foam containers
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Nov 2019
Council adopts by-law requirements for straws, utensils, cups, and shopping bags
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Jan 1, 2020
Ban on foam cups and foam take-out containers begins
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Apr 22 2020
Ban on plastic straws with accessibility requirements and disposable utensils by-request only begin
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Dec 9 2020
Council postpones cup and shopping bag by-laws due to COVID-19
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Jan 1, 2022
Ban on plastic shopping bags, minimum $0.15 fee on paper shopping bags, minimum $1 fee on new reusable shopping bags, and minimum $0.25 fee on disposable cups
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Mar 29, 2022
Free drinks exempted from cup fee
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Jul 1, 2022
Businesses must accept customers’ clean reusable cups for drinks ordered in-store
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Jan 1, 2023
Minimum $0.25 fee on paper shopping bags and minimum $2 fee on new reusable shopping bags begin
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We are here
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Sep 2, 2023
Staff to report back with potential options for requiring businesses to provide reusable cups for drinks ordered to-stay and to participate in a reusable cup-share program for to-go drinks, including recommendations for timing, as directed by Council
