Single-Use Item Reduction Strategy

With your help, we've created a made-in-Vancouver strategy to dramatically reduce waste from single-use items.

Businesses, charities, not-for-profits

Compliance information for the foam, plastic straw, utensil, cup and shopping bag by-laws. Includes link to resource toolkits.

Residents

Information for residents on the bans and by-laws on single-use items.

Shopping bag support plan

In partnership with non-profits and social enterprises, we're exploring options to provide free reusable shopping bags to residents in need.

Approved by-laws for single-use items

Foam cups and foam take-out containers

Jan 1, 2020: ban begins for business licence holders.
Effective Jan 1, 2020, businesses, charities, and not-for-profits are banned from serving prepared food and beverages in foam cups and foam take-out containers.

Exemptions
- Hospitals and community care facilities are exempt from the ban.
- A temporary exemption until Dec 31, 2020 for charitable food services will apply.
  - 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.
Learn more, access resources
- Businesses, charities, and not-for-profits: learn more and get resources
- Residents: learn how you can support businesses through this transition
Waste snapshot
- 78% of Vancouver residents support a ban and 84% of Vancouverites think quick-serve restaurants or cafés should provide reusable dishware for eating in.
- Single-use foam cups and foam take-out containers can break apart. When this happens in recycling bins, the foam and any other materials around it cannot be recycled properly. For this reason, foam must be recycled at depots, and must be clean and dry.
- Only 6% of Vancouver residents reported that they bring foam to a recycling depot.
- The majority of single-use foam cups and foam take-out containers are sent to landfill.
- Foam was the 11th most common type of litter found on Canadian shorelines in 2019 according to the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.
Plastic straws

Apr 22, 2020: accessibility requirements and ban begin.
- Accessibility requirement:
  - Businesses 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.
- 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.
Exemptions
- Hospitals and community care facilities are exempt from the ban.
- A temporary exemption until April 21, 2021 is provided for plastic straws served with bubble tea to allow time for the market to provide alternatives.
- Straws attached to drink boxes or drink pouches.
- Packages of at least 20 straws sold for personal use.
Learn more, access resources
- Businesses, charities, and not-for-profits: learn more and get resources
- Residents: learn what these by-laws mean for you
Waste snapshot
- In 2018, about 31 million plastic straws were thrown in the garbage in Vancouver. On top of that, an unknown number of plastic straws were littered in the natural environment.
Disposable utensils

Apr 22, 2020: by-request requirement begins.
Effective Apr 22, 2020, business licence holders cannot automatically include single-use utensils (spoon, fork, knife, or chopsticks) in a customer’s order for dine-in, drive-through, take-out, or delivery. These items can only be provided upon customer request. Self-serve stations are allowed.

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.

Exemptions
- Hospitals and community care facilities are exempt from the by-request requirement.
- Packages of at least 20 single-use utensils sold for personal use.
Learn more, access resources
- Businesses, charities, and not-for-profits: learn more and get resources
- Residents: learn what these by-laws mean for you
Waste snapshot
- 84% of Vancouverites agree that quick-serve restaurants or cafés should provide reusable dishware for eating in.
- 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.
- In 2018, about 103 million single-use utensils were thrown in the garbage in Vancouver — not including utensils that are littered in the natural environment. Two thirds were single-use chopsticks and wooden utensils.
Disposable cups

Jan 1, 2022: $0.25 fee begins
Effective Jan 1, 2022, business licence holders must:
- Charge a minimum fee of $0.25 for every disposable cup distributed
- Starting with the 2023 business licence renewal, report the number of single-use cups distributed in the past 12 months at each licensed location when they renew their annual business licence
- The cup reporting requirement is waived for each business location participating in a reusable cup-share program. This is intended to encourage food vendors to participate in reusable cup- share programs.
- Display the cost of disposable cups wherever customers place orders for drinks (such as menus, menu boards, and online ordering platforms)
- If receipts are given, show the fee for each disposable cup as its own line item
- Tell customers the amount of the cup fee for any orders placed over the phone
- Keep the fees from cups - this revenue is not remitted to the City
COVID-19: Under BC Centre for Disease Control guidelines, vendors can provide reusable cups and accept customers’ reusable cups during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have worked with Vancouver Coastal Health to ensure “contactless cup” procedures can be used to serve drinks in customers’ reusable cups.

Exemptions
- Hospitals, community care facilities, and charitable food providers are exempt from the requirement to charge fees on disposable cups.
- The cup fee and reporting requirement do not apply to single-use cups used to serve prepared food, such as soup, pudding, frozen desserts, and more.
- Packages of at least six single-use beverage cups sold for personal use.
Learn more, access resources
- Businesses, charities, and not-for-profits: learn more and get resources
- Residents: learn what these by-laws mean for you
Waste snapshot
- In 2018, about 82 million single-use cups were thrown in the garbage in Vancouver.
- About 15% of large litter on Vancouver streets is single-use cups.
- Recycle BC accepts polycoat paper cups in its household and apartment recycling program, but many businesses do not accept them because their waste collection companies struggle to access recycling markets.
Shopping bags

Jan 1, 2022: ban on plastic and compostable plastic shopping bags begins, fees on paper and new reusable shopping bags
Effective Jan 1, 2022, business licence holders must :
- Stop using single-use plastic and compostable plastic shopping bags
- Charge a minimum fee of $0.15 for paper shopping bags and $1 for new reusable shopping bags in 2022
- Increase minimum fees to $0.25 per paper shopping bag and $2 per new reusable shopping bag in 2023
- If receipts are given, show the fees charged for paper and new reusable shopping bags as a separate line item (or line items)
- Keep the fees from paper and new reusable shopping bags. Revenue from the bag fees are not remitted to the City.
- Ensure paper shopping bags contain at least 40% recycled content and are labeled “recyclable” and “made of 40% recycled content”
- Ensure new reusable shopping bags are designed and manufactured to be capable of at least 100 uses
- If requested by the City, and no sooner than Jan 1, 2023, report the number of paper shopping bags and new reusable shopping bags distributed during the previous 12 months
COVID-19: Under BC Centre for Disease Control guidelines, vendors can provide and accept reusable shopping bags during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exemptions
- Hospitals and community care facilities are exempt.
- Charitable food providers cannot provide plastic shopping bags, but can provide paper and reusable shopping bags at no cost.
  - 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.
- “Bag-share” or “Take-a-Bag, Leave-a-Bag” programs are exempt.
- Pharmacies are not required to charge fees on paper and reusable shopping bags used to transport prescription drugs.
- Small paper bags (less than 15 cm x 20cm when flat)
- Large shopping bags used to transport linens, bedding, or other similar items that cannot easily fit in a paper or reusable shopping bag are permitted.
- Bags that aren’t shopping bags.
Learn more, access resources
- Businesses, charities, and not-for-profits: learn more and get resources
- Residents: avoid bag fees, BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag)
Waste snapshot
- In 2018, about 89 million plastic shopping bags and 4 million paper shopping bags were thrown in the garbage in Vancouver.
- Plastic bags were the sixth most common type of litter found on shorelines in 2019, according to the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.
- 95% of Metro Vancouver residents already own at least one reusable shopping bag.