Calgarians will have a chance Tuesday to speak to city council about a new bylaw aimed at reducing single-use items from local landfills.
In October, the city council approved the creation of a bylaw to respond to the millions of single-use items, such as bags and utensils, that are thrown into residential and commercial trash each week.
This bylaw proposes a mandatory minimum fee for local businesses to charge $0.15 for paper bags and $1.00 for reusable bags.
The minimum fee will increase to $0.25 per paper shopping bag and $2.00 per new reusable shopping bag after the law’s first year of enforcement.
Bylaws will also make available food items such as forks, straws, stir sticks and napkins only upon customer request.
“It’s about that collective effort towards a social betterment,” Ward 11 Coun. Courtney Penner said. “We’re reducing plastics we know are good on many levels, from pollution to emissions and production.”
The bylaws also include a requirement that paper shopping bags contain at least 40 percent recycled content.
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This comes after the federal government banned in December the manufacture and import of certain single-use plastics such as checkout bags, cutlery, food service ware, stir sticks and straws. A ban on the sale of those items would take effect next year as part of a federal plan.
“Businesses are now looking at, or should be looking at, alternatives to those products where necessary and asking what the environmental impact of those alternatives would be compared to those alternatives,” said John Graham, government relations director for the Retail Council of Canada. Have been.” Global News.
Graham said the Retail Council of Canada is monitoring the Calgary bylaws and its impact on takeout and quick service restaurants, as well as its alignment with other similar municipal bylaws.
According to its owner, Jordan Sorrenti, Paddy’s BBQ and Brewery has been waste-free for about eight years.
But the move is costly, with paper bags costing $0.50 in exchange for compostable containers and $0.50 per container for plastic bags instead of cheaper foam alternatives.
“I’m in favor of being 100 percent compostable, but it’s going to have a price,” Sorrenti told Global News. “It’s going to be a value to the consumer, and it’s a competitive business.”
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Sorrenti said he does not charge a fee for the containers, but added that it is reasonable that businesses recoup the cost through the fees included in the bylaws.
“A lot of businesses depend on a lot of takeaways, the ones that have more takeaways are going to feel the pinch, and seriously you feel the pinch,” Sorrenti said. “When you go shopping you find that 20 percent of your bill is in compost and stuff that you’re giving away, you’ll think twice about giving it away.”
According to a 2019 city study, about 3.5 million plastic shopping bags, 6.4 million plastic utensils, 2.4 million takeout containers and 2.4 million disposable cups end up in landfills every week.
Ward 2 Co. Jennifer Wynes said the bylaw is not necessary because the waste would be diverted from landfills under federal regulations on single-use plastics.
“Under the federal ban, we’re dealing with paper bags that will end up in your green cart, and utensils made of wood that will end up in your green cart,” Wynes said. “With the federal ban right out the gate, we are already turning from landfill to compost facility. The question is, what is the measure of our success on this?”
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The bylaw is set to take effect on January 16, 2024.
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