Shopping bags

Complying with the by-law

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  By-law overview

  Plastic shopping bags

  The ban on plastic shopping bags applies to plastic shopping bags of all thicknesses, made wholly or partially from:

  • Plastic made from fossil fuel products
  • Plastic that is labeled or described as compostable or degradable (biodegradable, oxodegradable, photodegradable, etc.)
  • Plastic made from plants or other biological materials (corn, potatoes, sugar cane, etc.)
  • Bioplastic

  Paper shopping bags

  • Minimum fee of $0.15 must be charged per paper shopping bag in 2022. Increases to minimum $0.25 in 2023.
  • Must contain at least 40% recycled content.
  • Must be labeled with the word “recyclable” and the amount of recycled content (example: “Recyclable. Made of 40% recycled content.")
  • If requested by the City, and no sooner than Jan 1, 2023, report the number of paper shopping bags distributed during the previous 12 months
  • Businesses keep the paper bag fees, revenue from the bag fees are not remitted to the City.

  New reusable shopping bags

  • Minimum fee of $1 must be charged per new reusable shopping bag in 2022. Increases to minimum $2 in 2023.
  • Must be made primarily of fabric and made to last at least 100 uses.

  For both paper shopping bags and new reusable shopping bags

  • Business license holders must first ask customers if they need shopping bags before providing them.
  • Shopping bag fees must be shown as a separate line item on any receipts provided to customers. 
  • If requested by the City, and no sooner than Jan 1, 2023, report the number of paper shopping bags and/or reusable shopping bags distributed during the previous 12 months.
  • Businesses, charities and not-for-profits keep the fees from paper shopping bags and new reusable shopping bags. Revenue from the bag fees is not remitted to the City.

  Review the by-law

  • By-law 12843 (amends By-law 4450 regarding the effective date of requirements for shopping bags) PDF file (107 KB)
  • By-law 12624 (amends By-law 4450 regarding shopping bags) PDF file (23 KB)
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  Who the by-law applies to

  All businesses, charities, and not-for-profits that hold a business licence in Vancouver are required to comply with the shopping bag by-law.

  This includes, but is not limited to: 

  • Food vendors 
  • Retailers 
  • Second-hand stores
  • Street vendors 
  • Vendors at festivals, special events, and markets

  Charitable food services

  Given the extenuating circumstances of COVID-19, we are using discretion on when and where to enforce Vancouver’s by-laws to reduce single-use items.

  Within this discretion, charitable food services may continue to distribute single-use items with food or meals during COVID-19.

  Charitable food services are expected to begin working towards complying with the by-laws as soon as it is possible for them (either during or after COVID-19).

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  Exemptions

  Bag-share or take-a-bag, leave-a-bag programs

  Businesses, charities, and not-for-profits are not required to charge fees on paper and reusable shopping bags that have already been used by a customer and returned to be re-used by other customers.

  It is also not required to report the number of bags distributed that have already been used by a customer at least once.

  Important information If a business, charity, or not-for-profit provides a reusable bag-share program, they should work with Vancouver Coastal Health to address how they will sanitize them effectively. This means the reusable bags must be washable or constructed from a material that can be effectively sanitized.

  Shopping bags for prescription drugs

  Pharmacies are not required to charge fees on paper and reusable shopping bags used to transport prescription drugs, or to report the number of bags distributed for this purpose.

  Charitable food services

  Registered charities and not-for-profits are not required to charge fees on paper and reusable shopping bags used to provide food for free or at low cost, or report the number of bags used for this purpose.

  Important information Organizations must be incorporated and in good standing under the Society Act, or registered as a charitable organization under the federal Income Tax Act to qualify for the charitable food services exemption.

  Small paper bags

  Businesses, charities, and not-for-profits are not required to charge fees on small paper bags (less than 15 cm x 20 cm when flat), or report the number of small paper bags distributed.

  Large shopping bags

  Plastic shopping bags used to transport linens, bedding, or other similar large items that cannot easily fit in a paper or reusable shopping bag are permitted.

  Bags that aren’t shopping bags

  The by-law is specific to shopping bags and does not apply to other types of bags.

  This means that there is no ban, required fees or reporting requirement for bags, made from any material, used to:

  • Contain loose bulk items such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, or candy
  • Contain loose small hardware items such as nails and bolts
  • Protect bakery goods that are not pre-packaged prior to the point of sale
  • Contain or wrap frozen foods, meat, poultry, or fish, whether pre-packaged prior to the point of sale or not
  • Wrap flowers or potted plants
  • Transport live fish
  • Protect newspapers or other printed material intended to be left at the customer’s residence or place of business
  • Protect clothes after professional laundering or dry cleaning
  • Garbage bin liners, sandwich bags, pet waste bags, compost liners

  The above list is not exhaustive. Other bags that do not meet the by-law definition of shopping bag are also not subject to bans or required fees at this time.

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  What is banned

  The ban on plastic shopping bags includes:

  • Plastics made wholly from fossil fuel products, such as polypropylene
  • Plastics made from plants or other biological materials (bio-based plastics)
  • Compostable plastics
  • Biodegradable plastics
  • Oxo-degradable plastics
  • Photodegradable plastics
  • PLA (polylactic acid)
  • Plastics mixed with plant fibres or other materials
  • Bioplastics
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  Suggested alternatives: what to choose instead

  Choose:

  • Reusable shopping bags designed and manufactured to be capable of at least 100 uses and made primarily of fabric
  • Paper shopping bags that contain at least 40% recycled content and are labeled with the word “recyclable” and the amount of recycled content

  Review suggested alternatives:

  • English PDF file (898 KB)
  • 繁體中文 PDF file (1.4 MB)
  • 简体中文 PDF file (1.5 MB)
  • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ PDF file (1.7 MB)
  • Tagalog PDF file (1.8 B)
  • Tiếng Việt PDF file (2 MB)
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  Reusable bags during COVID-19

  Important note COVID-19: Under BC Centre for Disease Control External website, opens in new tab guidelines, vendors can accept customers' reusable shopping bags during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  To protect the safety of residents, businesses, and their staff, you should encourage your customers to follow these cleaning guidelines for reusable bags:

  • Designate uses for reusable shopping bags – use specific bags for groceries (meat, produce, dry goods), clothing, electronics.
  • Machine-wash cloth bags frequently, especially after using them to carry fresh produce, meat, poultry, and seafood.
  • If they aren’t machine washable, hand-wash reusable bags inside out with hot soapy water.
  • Dry reusable bags after washing.
  • Not every reusable shopping bag is created equally – keep washability, size, and durability in mind when choosing a reusable shopping bag.
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  Avoid compostable and degradable plastics

  Compostable and degradable plastic shopping bags are included in the ban and are not allowed. 

  You might be surprised to find out what happens to these items after your customers are done with them. 

  Fact 1

  Plastic that is labeled or described as compostable, degradable (example: biodegradable, oxodegradable, photodegradable), bioplastic, or made from plants or other biological materials:

  • Is not accepted in the City’s Green Bin organics program
  • Contaminates existing composting and recycling streams
  • Is not approved for composting under provincial regulation
  • Is not designed to biodegrade if littered in the natural environment

  Fact 2

  Plastic that is labeled or described as compostable or degradable is also not accepted in Recycle BC’s residential recycling program External website, opens in new tab.

  Fact 3

  As contaminants, plastics that are labeled or described as compostable, degradable, or made from plants are most likely to be removed from composting and recycling streams and then disposed to landfill or incinerator.

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  Bag fees and revenue

  Businesses, charities, and not-for-profits will keep the bag fees and determine how to use them. Revenue from the bag fees is not remitted to the City.

  We encourage you to use the fees to:

  • Invest in reusable alternatives for single-use items, such as a take-a-bag, leave-a-bag program
  • Cover the cost of complying with the by-law, example: software updates, training staff
  • Fund the donation of reusable bags to charitable food services and other not-for-profits that offer programs like grocery hampers and clothing rooms to residents disproportionately affected by income inequality 

  Help your customers avoid fees by:

  • Encouraging them to bring their own bag
  • Offering a bag-share or take-a-bag, leave-a-bag program

  Discounts can be offered to reward customers for bringing their own reusable shopping bags.

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  Donate leftover plastic shopping bags or reusable bags to non-profits

  We encourage businesses to consider the following suggestions for getting into compliance with the shopping bag by-law, while also supporting charities and not-for-profits that offer programs to residents who are disproportionately affected by income inequality:

  • Using revenue from bag fees to fund the donation of reusable bags to charitable food services and other not-for-profits that offer programs like grocery hampers and clothing rooms
  • Donating excess plastic shopping bags to charitable and not-for-profit organizations that can make them available to community members to use for other purposes (for example, as garbage bin liners)

  Review a list of non-profits that accept donated plastic and reusable shopping bags PDF file (144 KB)

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  Food delivery services

  Food vendors located in Vancouver must comply with the single-use item by-laws, including sales through food delivery services. 

  All food delivery service providers should update their online, mobile, and telephone ordering platforms for food vendors located in Vancouver to ensure that customers are charged for any paper shopping bags or new reusable shopping bags, and the fees are reflected on receipts.

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  Enforcing the rules

  Due to the extenuating circumstances of COVID-19, City staff are prioritizing outreach and education to ensure businesses have the support they need in order to comply with the single-use item by-laws.

  If a business is found to be out of compliance with the single-use item by-laws that are in effect, our initial actions will focus on education, outreach, and support to help them comply.

  Following these initial education actions, increasing levels of enforcement may be applied to address non-compliant operators. Enforcement may include issuing tickets, which carry a fine of $500 per offence. The provision for the $500 fine is in the Ticket Offences By-law No. 9360 PDF file (218 KB).

  Further prosecutions in provincial court could be subject to a maximum fine of $10,000 per offence. 

  Ongoing non-compliance may also result in business licence suspensions, or recommendations for business licence revocation.

  Information icon Charitable food services may continue to distribute single-use items with food or meals during COVID-19. Charitable food services are expected to begin working towards complying with the by-laws as soon as it is possible for them.

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  Your turn: Prepare for the shopping bag by-law

  Use these tips to get ready for the by-law:

  • Speak with your supplier about alternatives to plastic shopping bags: See above for suggested alternatives 
  • Remind customers of bag cleanliness: Help to keep your staff safe by reminding customers to regularly clean their reusable bags. Use the poster in our single-use item by-law toolkit.
  • Develop safe, accessible procedures for reusable bags: Follow BC Centre of Disease Control External link icon guidelines for frequent handwashing to support your staff with handling reusable bags. Help customers with disabilities by bagging purchases in their reusable bags. 
  • Update your Point of Sale (POS) systems: Update your in-store, online, mobile, and telephone POS systems to charge fees on paper and reusable shopping bags. Fees are subject to GST and PST. 
  • Show fees on receipts: All businesses are required to display bag fees as a separate line item on any receipts provided to customers by using wording such as “paper bags” and “reusable bags”. 
  • Put a system in place to track the number of paper and reusable shopping bags you distribute each year: You can track the number of paper and reusable shopping bags you give out using an electronic POS, or other methods such as counting how many bags are in your inventory at the beginning and end of the year. 
  • Train your staff and cashiers to ask customers if they need a paper or reusable shopping bag before providing one. 
  • Be transparent with revenue from bag fees: Show your customers how you are using revenue from bag fees. 
  • Report shopping bags distributed to the City (if requested): Report the number of paper and reusable shopping bags distributed in the past 12 months if requested by the City. 
  • Donate or sell all remaining plastic shopping bags: Any remaining plastic shopping bags should be sold to businesses outside of Vancouver or donated to charitable and not-for-profit organizations (if they are accepting donations of plastic bags). Charitable organizations sometimes provide empty plastic shopping bags to residents disproportionately affected by income inequality for various uses, such as garbage bin liners or to make footwear more waterproof.