Single-use cup reporting

Report single-use cups when you renew your business licence by December 31:

• Online (the fastest way)
  • When you renew your business licence online, you can report the number of single-use cups at the same time.
• By mail or in person
  • If you are unable to renew online and are renewing your business licence by mail or in person, print and complete the single-use cup reporting form PDF file (454 KB) and attach it to your business licence renewal stub.

Businesses that do not offer a reusable cup-share program to customers are required to report the number of single-use cups distributed in the past 12 months. 

What to include in the cup count

• Single-use cups for all types of hot and cold beverages
• Single-use cups made of all types of materials such as paper, plastic and compostable plastic 
• Single-use cups for all beverages sold to customers and free drinks

What not to include

• Single-use cups used to serve prepared food such as soup, pudding, and frozen desserts
• Single-use cups sold by retailers in packages of 6 or more for personal use
• Cup lids

Options for tracking cups

• Use your electronic point of sale (POS) system.
• Use another method such as counting the number of cups in your inventory at the beginning and end of the reporting period. 

You may round the number of cups distributed to the nearest thousand. 

Business locations that offer a reusable cup-share program to customers, either their own or through a cup-share service provider PDF file (197 KB), do not have to report the number of single-use cups distributed, even if the program was introduced after the by-law came into effect on January 1, 2022. 

What is a reusable cup-share program?

A reusable cup-share program (or cup-borrowing or returnable cup program) lets customers borrow a reusable cup from the store and take their drink to go, then return it to the store or another drop-off location. The cup and lid are cleaned and sanitized before they are used for other customers. Depending on the program, consumers typically pay a small deposit that is refunded when they return the cup or buy a monthly subscription. 

Cup-share is a zero-waste solution that makes reusable cups as convenient as single-use cups for drinks to go. It lets people skip the $0.25 cup fee and choose reusable if they forget their own cup, or if they don’t want to carry their cup around. It’s like car-share or bike-share, but for cups.

Is accepting customers’ reusable cups considered a cup-share program?

No. We’re encouraged to see businesses doing their part to reduce waste and help customers avoid the $0.25 cup fee by accepting customers’ clean reusable cups. However, accepting customers’ cups is a by-law requirement in Licence By-law No. 4450 section 15.8 (9) and doesn’t qualify as an exemption from the single-use cup reporting requirement, even if your business sells the reusable cup.

The cup reporting exemption is for business locations that take the extra step to offer a reusable cup-share program for their customers.

Do any Vancouver businesses have a reusable cup-share program?  

Yes. Over 120 business locations in Vancouver, including independent restaurants and local and multi-national chains, now offer cup-share, either with their own branded programs or through a local cup-share service provider PDF file (197 KB).

A new cup-borrowing pilot by Return-It External website, opens in new tab and major chains is also underway in Vancouver. Dedicated bins for collecting borrowed reusable cups have been placed in selected commercial and on-street locations in Vancouver. Consumers can return their branded reusable cup in a designated bin to be collected, washed, sanitized and returned to participating stores. 

Since the cup by-law came into effect on January 1, 2022, we have encouraged businesses to invest their revenue from the cup fee in reusable alternatives and infrastructure like cup-share programs.  

Licence By-law No. 4450 (section 15.8) requires food vendors to report the number of single-use cups distributed over the last 12 months at each licenced location when they renew their business licence. 

For 2023 business licence renewals, businesses will report the number of single-use cups distributed between January 1, 2022 (the start of the by-law), and the date of your licence renewal. 

Businesses that received a business licence after January 1, 2022, will report the number of cups distributed between the date on the business licence and the date of the licence renewal.

To report the number of single-use cups distributed at a location with multiple licences, businesses may either:

• Report the total number of cups under one licence number, and “0” (zero) for the rest.
• Split the number of cups between licence numbers, and ensure they add up to the total number of cups distributed at that location.

Do not double-report the number of cups.

The following are exempt from cup reporting:

• Locations that offer reusable cup-share programs to customers, either their own or through a cup-share service provider PDF file (84 KB), even if the program was introduced after the by-law came into effect on January 1, 2022.
• Hospitals and community care facilities that provide food services to patients.
  Information icon Food vendors, such as cafes, located within hospitals or community care facilities are not exempt from cup reporting.
• Registered charities and not-for-profit corporations that provide beverages for free or at low-cost.
  Information icon 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.
• Food sold in cups such as soup, pudding, or frozen desserts
• Single-use cups sold by retailers in packages of six or more

If a business is found to be out of compliance with the Licence By-law requirements for reporting distribution of single-use cups, initial City 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, which may include fines or loss of business licence.

We will use the cup reporting data to monitor the uptake of reusable cup-share programs and the effectiveness of the single-use cup fee.

We may share cup reporting data in aggregate, but will not publicly attribute the data to individual businesses.