It’s official, the province is eliminating single-use plastics across BC!
Coming into effect in December 2023, a new provincial regulation will expand BC’s efforts to phase out hard-to-recycle single-use and plastic items.
The six months between now and then will give the government time to educate the public and businesses about the new requirements and allow for businesses to use the rest of their existing inventory.
The products in question include the following:
- Shopping bags
- Disposable food service accessories such as containers
- Other food service wares and cutlery
- Oxo-degradable plastics (plastics with additives designed to break down into microplastics)
It all began with the implementation of the CleanBC Action Plan in 2019.
Since then, the decrease in single-use plastics across municipalities has been effective in providing authority for early-action bylaw creation and enforcement.
Now, the BC government says they are ready to push further improvements and create province-wide change when it comes to plastic usage.
To address the waste and pollution issues, BC says they aim to crack down on the phasing out of single-use plastics entirely.
“Focusing on hard-to-recycle single-use and plastic items will help move BC to a circular economy where waste and pollution are eliminated, products and materials are kept in the economy through re-use,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
Further, polystyrene foam meat trays are set to be banned — coming into effect on July 1st, 2030 to give businesses time to prepare alternatives.
“Addressing climate change requires individual and collective action,” said Joan Phillip, recent MLA-elect for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.
“Through our government’s waste-reduction policies and programs, we are advancing BC’s climate action goals and ensuring a better future for the next generation.”
To assist in the follow-through of these new regulations, $40 million will be placed in the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund. This initiative supports BC-based innovators to reduce plastic waste, reuse items, and include more recycled material in the manufacturing of products.
To learn more about the plastic-usage regulations, recycling programs, and BC’s plans of action, visit their website.
