December 10, 2020: Council has approved a revised start date of January 1, 2022 for the shopping bag and disposable cup by-laws.
A public awareness campaign, by-law guide, and business toolkit will launch in early 2021 to encourage behaviour change and help businesses prepare for, comply with, and communicate the upcoming requirements to their staff and customers.
Despite these unprecedented times, it is important to address plastic pollution and for the City to follow through on our commitment to reduce waste from single-use items.
As we take steps to reduce waste from single-use items during COVID-19, we’ll continue to work with public health officials to ensure that the implementation of our by-laws aligns with public health guidelines and protects the health and safety of residents, businesses, and their staff.
Foam cups and foam take-out containers
Only 6% of Vancouver residents reported that they bring foam to a recycling depot.
As a result, the majority of single-use foam cups and foam take-out containers are not recycled but instead are sent to landfill.
As of January 1, 2020, businesses, charities, and not-for-profits are banned from serving prepared food or drinks in foam cups and foam containers.
The foam ban applies to all white and coloured polystyrene foam cups and foam take-out containers that are used for serving prepared food or beverages, including but not limited to plates, cups, bowls, trays, cartons, and hinged (“clamshell”) or lidded containers.
Charitable food providers are temporarily exempt for 1 year
Charitable food services may continue to distribute single-use items with food or meals during COVID-19, but are expected to begin working towards complying with the by-laws as soon as it is possible for them
Foam trays used to package uncooked food or foods packaged outside Vancouver
Packages of foam cups and foam containers sold for personal use
Plastic straws
This by-law aligns with the global movement to reduce waste and litter from single-use plastic straws.
It includes an accessibility requirements to protect access to flexible plastic straws for people who need them to consume beverages and nutrition.
To the best of our knowledge, Vancouver's by-law sets the highest standard for accessibility among plastic straw bans while also working to reduce the majority of plastic straw waste.
Businesses, charities, and not-for-profits are expected to comply with:
Accessibility requirement:
Businesses, charities, and not-for-profits are required to stock flexible plastic straws, individually wrapped in paper, to ensure that customers who are unable to drink without a straw, or have difficulty drinking, can safely consume beverages and nutrition.
Anyone who asks for a flexible plastic straw should receive one. People are not required, and should not be asked, to provide any medical information to prove their need.
Flexible plastic straws must be stored behind a counter to save them for people who need them.
Ban on all other plastic straws, including:
Plastic made from fossil fuel products
Plastic that is labeled or described as compostable, degradable
Plastic that is labeled or described as made from plants or other biological materials (example: corn, potatoes, sugarcane)
During COVID-19, charitable food services may continue to distribute single-use items with food or meals, but are expected to begin working towards complying with the by-laws as soon as it is possible for them.
Flexible plastic straws are for people who need them. If you do not need a flexible plastic straw, please don’t ask for or use one.
The plastic straw by-law requires that all licensed food vendors stock flexible plastic straws, individually wrapped in paper, to ensure that customers who are unable to drink without a straw, or have difficulty drinking, can safely consume beverages and nutrition. People experiencing age-related physical restrictions, arthritis, auto-immune disease, autism, cerebral palsy, dental and oral conditions, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, neurological disease, spinal cord injuries, stroke recovery and rehabilitation, surgery recovery, and other illnesses and injuries, may rely on flexible plastic straws.
This requirement sets the highest standard for accessibility and prioritizes inclusion for all people in Vancouver’s diverse communities.
Flexible plastic straws, individually wrapped in paper, meet the widest range of peoples accessibility needs.
The flexible plastic straw menu icon was created for businesses to show customers that they are in compliance with the plastic straw by-law and that flexible plastic straws are available for customers who need them.
The wheelchair symbol is the international symbol of access. The menu icon uses this symbol for the following reasons:
The symbol is widely understood by the general public.
The symbol helps to reinforce that flexible plastic straws should be provided to people for accessibility needs.
For non-disabled customers, the symbol reinforces that flexible plastic straws are not for their convenience, but are available for people who need them to safely consume beverages and nutrition.
The menu icon is not intended to imply that flexible plastic straws are only for people in wheelchairs. The City acknowledges that people with visible and invisible disabilities or medical conditions may need flexible plastic straws to safely consume beverages and nutrition.
We encourage local businesses to download and use the menu icon.
We encourage residents to adopt new practices like:
Switching to reusable straws
Where single-use straws are necessary, choosing materials that can be composted in our Green Bin program
Checkmark Our Green Bin program accepts straws made from
Paper straws that are not lined with any type of plastic
Pasta straws (however, may be an allergen)
Rice and tapioca straws (however, may be an allergen)
Straws made of grain stalks like hay and rye
Straws made from pressed leaves
Bamboo straws made of real, whole bamboo
Important information To be accepted in our Green Bin program, compostable straws must be 100% free of plastic. Straws made with plant-based plastics (bioplastics) such as cornstarch, potato starch, and sugar cane are not accepted under the by-law or in the Green Bin program.
X Banned straws include those made of
Plastics (made from fossil fuel products)
Plastic labeled or described as compostable, degradable (biodegradable, oxodegradable, photodegradable)
Plastics made from plants or other biological materials such as cornstarch, potato starch, and sugar cane
PLA (polylactic acid)
Paper straws lined with any type of plastic
Bioplastics
Important information None of the materials listed above are accepted in the City of Vancouver’s Green Bin program.
Disposable utensils
We’ve introduced an “ask first” requirement for single-use utensils to drastically reduce the amount of utensils unnecessarily and automatically provided to customers.
Charitable food services may continue to distribute single-use items with food or meals during COVID-19, but are expected to begin working towards complying with the by-laws as soon as it is possible for them.
Effective April 22, 2020, businesses, charities, and not-for-profits are expected to comply with the following:
Single-use utensils can only be provided to customers upon request (this is a by-request by-law)
For all dine-in, take-out, in-person, online, and telephone orders, food vendors can only provide single-utensils if the food vendor asks a customer if they want a single-use utensil, and the customer:
Confirms that they do, or
A customer requests a single-use utensil, or
A customer helps themselves to a single-use utensil from a self-serve station
The by-law covers single-use spoons, knives, forks, and chopsticks of all material types. Self-serve stations are allowed.
In 2018, about 103 million single-use utensils were thrown in the garbage in Vancouver — not including the utensils that were littered in the natural environment. Two-thirds were single-use chopsticks and wooden utensils. We also know that 71% of Vancouverites believe they would reduce how often they used single-use items if they were asked if they wanted them before making a purchase.
We’re trying to stop utensil spam and reduce the amount of single-use utensils thrown in the garbage in Vancouver.
When ordering take-out:
Only request single-use utensils if you need them.
Don’t accept single-use utensils if you don’t need them.
Tell your favourite restaurants not to include single-use utensils automatically in take-out orders.
Consider making your own reusable utensils set and carrying it with you.
Disposable cups
In 2018, about 82 million single-use cups were thrown in the garbage in Vancouver and 15% of large litter found on Vancouver streets was single-use cups.
The City has worked with Vancouver Coastal Health to ensure “contactless cup” procedures can be used to serve drinks in customers’ reusable cups.
Contactless coffee procedure
Used by cafes and restaurants around the world, this method outlines a safe procedure for accepting reusable cups during the COVID-19 pandemic and is allowed by Vancouver Coastal Health.
Method 1
Customer takes off the lid and places their clean reusable cup on a designated tray or in another container and steps back 2 m.
Staff moves the tray or container to where the drink will be prepared, making sure to prevent any contact with the customer’s reusable cup.
Without touching the customer’s reusable cup, staff then pours the prepared drink into the customer’s reusable cup.
Staff bring the tray with the customer’s reusable cup to a countertop where the customer can then take it away.
Wash and sterilize trays and containers after every use.
Method 2
Staff prepare the drink in a small jug or reusable "to stay" cup that has been washed and sanitized in a commercial dishwasher.
Staff or customer pours the drink into their travel mug.
Staff wash and sanitize the cup or jug used for pouring.
To protect the safety of residents, businesses, and their staff, follow these cleaning guidelines, approved by Vancouver Coastal Health, for your own reusable cup:
Most insulated travel mugs are not dishwasher safe.
Hand wash your travel mug and lid with warm soapy water after each use.
Rinse under running water. Dry completely.
Make sure there is no leftover drink residue in your cup or on your lid. Businesses are not required to handle dirty cups or clean yours for you.
Replace chipped, cracked or otherwise damaged travel mugs.
Bring your own clean reusable cup (see above for COVID-19 reusable cup safety and cleaning tips).
Choose a reusable cup-share at participating locations.
Who keeps the fees and how are they used
Businesses keep the cup fees. Revenue from the cup fees is not remitted to the City.
Businesses will determine how the cup fees are used, however, we encourage them to use the fees to:
Invest in reusable alternatives for single-use items, such as reusable cups for drinks to stay, commercial dishwashers, and reusable cup-share programs
Cover the cost of complying with the by-law, example: software updates, training staff
If you are interested to know how the fees are being used at any particular business, please ask them. We’ve encouraged businesses to share with their customers how the fees are being used.
Shopping bags
In 2018, about 89 million plastic shopping bags and 4 million paper shopping bags were thrown in the garbage in Vancouver.
Charitable food services may continue to distribute single-use items with food or meals during COVID-19, but are expected to begin working towards complying with the by-laws as soon as it is possible for them.
The ban on plastic shopping bags includes plastic made from fossil fuel products, and plastic that is labeled or described as compostable, degradable, or made from plants or other biological materials.
Paper shopping bags - minimum $0.15 fee
Businesses are required to charge a $0.15 fee (minimum) per paper shopping bag in 2022.
In 2023, the minimum fee per paper shopping bags increases to $0.25.
Businesses keep the fees from paper shopping bags, this revenue is not remitted to the City.
Paper shopping bags must contain at least 40% recycled content.
Reusable shopping bags - minimum $1.00 fee on new reusable bags
Businesses are required to charge a $1.00 fee (minimum) per reusable shopping bag in 2022.
In 2023, the minimum fee per reusable shopping bag increases to $2.00.
Businesses keep the fees from reusable bags, this revenue is not remitted to the City.
Reusable shopping bags must be designed and manufactured to be capable of at least 100 uses and be primarily made of fabric.
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
Contain linens, bedding, or similar large items
Transport prescription drugs from a pharmacy
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
This list is not exhaustive. Other bags that do not meet the by-law definition of a shopping bag are also not subject to bans or required fees at this time.
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 all five of the single-use item by-laws.
If a business is found to be out of compliance with the foam, plastic straw and utensil by-laws, initial City actions will focus on education, outreach and support to help them comply. Staff will be using discretion and enforcement will be reserved for cases of deliberate and harmful non-compliance after all outreach and education efforts have been exhausted.
Following these initial actions, increasing levels of enforcement may be used to address non-compliant operators. Non-compliant business license holders may be issued tickets that can lead to fines of up to $500 per offence. Business license holders with repeat offences may be subject to prosecution and face provincial court issued fines of up to $10,000 per offence.
During COVID-19, charitable food services may continue to distribute single-use items with food or meals, but are expected to begin working towards complying with the by-laws as soon as it is possible for them.
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 the City’s single-use item by-laws.
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:
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.
Single-use items represent the wastefulness of our modern throw-away society. No matter what they are made of, single-use items 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, and require a significant amount of resources to produce.
Our Single-Use Item Reduction Strategy targets reducing single-use items made from all types of materials, not just plastics. We recognize that all materials have environmental, social or resource impacts, which is why we’ve prioritized “Avoid, Reduce, and Reuse”.
We know that we can’t recycle our way to zero waste.
Flexible plastic straws are for people who need them. If you do not need a flexible plastic straw, please don’t ask for or use one.
The flexible plastic straw menu icon was created for businesses to show customers that they are in compliance with the plastic straw by-law and that flexible plastic straws are available for customers who need them.