Information for businesses, charities, and not-for-profits

As of July 1, businesses will be required to accept customers’ clean reusable cups for drinks ordered in-store. 

Food vendors must have and follow a written procedure for serving drinks (hot and cold) in a customer’s clean reusable cup for drinks ordered in store. The procedure must be in accordance with food safety and sanitary practices required by public health authorities.

What cups food vendors can refuse

Food vendors can refuse cups that are: 

• Not food safe (for example dirty or damaged cups)
• Too small for the drink the customer has ordered
• Not safe for hot drinks (for example uninsulated glass jar)

The requirement to accept a customers’ reusable cup will also not apply to:

• Drinks served in a reusable cup - When a drink is already served in a reusable cup supplied by the business (for example at a dine-in restaurant),  the business is not required to accept a customers’ reusable cup for that drink
• Alcoholic drinks - Liquor licensees are responsible to ensure patrons do not take liquor outside their alcohol service area
• Events with bag checks - Events where every patron is checked to prevent anyone from bringing in objects that could be used as projectiles
• Drive-thrus - Food vendors are not required to accept reusable cups at drive-thrus

Important note The cup fee and other cup regulations still apply when reusable cups can't be accepted.

If your current food safety and sanitation plan:

• Includes a written procedure for accepting customers’ clean reusable cups:
  • Continue following your procedure with no change to your operations
  • Important note Let your customers know you accept reusable cups. Get posters and till toppers
• Doesn't yet include a written procedure for accepting customers’ reusable cups:
  • Update your plan as soon as possible and submit it to your local health authority for review and approval so you can start accepting reusable cups by July 1, 2022
  • Review contactless cup procedures allowed by Vancouver Coastal Health
  • Download the contactless cup poster PDF file (592 KB)

As of March 29, 2022, businesses can provide the following free drinks in single-use cups to customers without charging a cup fee.

• Drinks provided at no cost to the customer, such as free water or complimentary coffee
• Drinks provided in exchange for a “drink voucher” (voucher specifies that it’s good for a free drink, or free drink and free meal) 
• Drinks provided in exchange for points or rewards earned using a licence holder’s loyalty or rewards program

Information icon Drinks purchased with a monetary voucher, gift card, or subscription service are not exempt from the cup fee. This exemption also does not include drinks ordered with meal combos or buy-one-get-one offers.

Businesses:

• Are required to charge a minimum $0.25 fee on each single-use beverage cup (except free drinks)
• Must display the cup fee on menu boards and other places where customers will see it
• Must report to us, if seeking a 2023 business licence renewal, the number of single-use cups distributed in the last 12 months (for example since January 1, 2022), except locations with a reusable cup-borrowing program

The health and safety of residents, businesses, and their staff are a priority for us and we continue to work to ensure all our single-use item by-laws align with current public health guidelines.

For the latest COVID-19 health requirements and resources, visit:

• Office of the Provincial Health Officer External website, opens in new tab
• British Columbia Centre for Disease Control information for food businesses External website, opens in new tab
• Vancouver Coastal Health environmental health and inspections External website, opens in new tab
• Work Safe BC External website, opens in new tab

We encourage you to source reusable alternatives or single-use packaging that can be: 

• Recycled in the Recycle BC residential recycling program External website, opens in new tab
• Composted in the green bin

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)

It’s time for some myth busting. 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 green bin
• 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.

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:

• Can request utensils
• Can request flexible plastic straws wrapped individually in paper (if needed for accessibility)
• Are charged for any beverage cups, paper shopping bags, or reusable shopping bags, and the fees are reflected on receipts

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.

The federal government is proposing to regulate single-use items External website, opens in new tab as early as 2021.

We will continue to advocate for federal regulations that meet the highest standards and align with our by-laws.

If the federal government proceeds with its regulations, City Council may consider how these regulations affect its by-laws and change them. Until then, Vancouver business licence holders are required to comply with our single-use item by-laws.