Edmonton single-use item bylaw to remain in effect despite early 'inconveniences'

While it might give another meaning to the term ‘ground beef,’ the City of Edmonton has no plans to revisit a new bylaw that requires local businesses to sell bags instead of providing them for free.

Jonathan Leung said the 15-cent charge for a paper bag, made mandatory across the city on the weekend, “is a little inconvenient” and, in his case at a west-end Wendy’s drive-thru on Tuesday, led to wasted food.

"I didn't buy a paper bag, but my wrap actually fell down through the drive-thru, so they had to give me another wrap,” he said.

“I think the cost of dropping a wrap probably cost them a little bit more than just a bag … but it is what it is. It's trying to help out the environment, so I understand."

The Edmonton Single-use Item Reduction Bylaw, which had been passed by city council in October, came into effect on July 1.

A representative from the City of Edmonton’s Waste Services division says despite such inconveniences, there are no plans to change the bylaw so soon into its implementation.

“Overall, many businesses have shown great leadership in adopting the new measures,” Alison Abbink, waste reduction lead for Waste Services, said in a news release. “We anticipate it will take some time for customers to form new habits.”

She said the city will be assessing the bylaw through feedback from business and customers, and through progress in reaching its waste reduction targets.

Abbink said the city is offering to help businesses make the transition through education and access to online resources.

In a statement to CTV News Edmonton, McDonald’s Canada – the multinational fast-food giant which has 1,400 restaurants across Canada, 50 of which are in Edmonton – said obeying the new bylaw is “keeping with the spirit” of its “global packing goals.”

It said the 15 cents collected for each paper bag sold will be used toward waste-reduction efforts.

with files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach