Single-use plastic could soon be completely banned in a number of communities on Vancouver Island.
The B.C. government announced Saturday that it will approve bylaws banning single-use plastics that were passed by the municipalities of Victoria, Saanich, Tofino, Ucluelet as well as Richmond. It also said it is planning to introduce new regulations under the Community Charter which would allow local governments to ban single-use plastics, such as shopping bags, plastic straws, and polystyrene foam take-out containers, without needing provincial approval.
The move allows those municipalities to begin implementing and enforcing their single-use plastic ban bylaws.
The province said is planning to introduce new regulations under the Community Charter which would allow local governments to ban single-use plastics, such as shopping bags, plastic straws, and polystyrene foam take-out containers, without needing provincial approval.
“We will develop a legal framework to allow for provincial bans on single-use items, such as straws, take-out containers, shopping bags and other priority items. As we initiate this work, we will continue to consult to make sure solutions are manageable, take into consideration economic recovery and are phased in practically,” said George Heyman, the province’s environment minister said in a press release. “We will also ensure that specific products continue to be available to people who live with a disability or need them for health reasons. We will align our actions with federal government initiatives if they occur on a reasonable timeframe.”
Additionally, the provincial government said it is also planning on expanding the number of single-use plastic products, such as plastic cutlery, sandwich bags, and stir sticks, that can be recycled at industry-funded residential recycling programs or centres and is planning on looking into the possibility of adding recycling programs for materials such as mattresses, electric-vehicle batteries and propane canisters.
Heyman said in the release the provincial government has “heard the message loud and clear” that it needs to take far more serious action when it comes to reducing plastic waste and pollution.
“People have been consistent and vocal about the need to take serious action now on plastic waste and pollution, and we have heard the message loud and clear,” George Heyman, the province’s environment minister said in a press release, adding. “Even in the face of current economic downturns, local governments and businesses have told us they remain committed to preventing millions of single-use plastic products from damaging the environment, polluting B.C.’s waters, harming wildlife and increasing costs for taxpayers.”
Furthermore, B.C. is exploring ways to improve recycling packaging in the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors and is seeking feedback on how to address issues around “lost fishing gear that pollutes oceans and shorelines.”
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