Restrictions on single-use plastic items, plastic bag ban coming to Edmonton in 2023
Edmonton restaurants will not be allowed to serve food in styrofoam containers and plastic shopping bags will be banned starting July 1, 2023.
City councillors gave final approval to the rules Tuesday by approving a new single-use items bylaw with 11 of 13 votes in favour. First reading of the bylaw passed in July.
"The will of the people has been extremely and 100 per cent clear that they want to see environmental action from their governments across the board. And so we are fulfilling that mandate," said Coun. Aaron Paquette who spoke in favour of the bylaw Tuesday.
Plastic utensils and condiment packages will also be restricted unless a customer requests them, and restaurants will have to serve dine-in drinks in reusable cups. Restaurants will also be forced to fill customer-owned to-go cups, but single-use cups and other cardboard packaging will still be allowed.
"This is an exciting first step, but it is only a first step. We have a long way to go as we work on our commitment on the climate emergency," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said Wednesday.
"Is this the one-stop bylaw for our city? I don't believe it is. Bylaws are drafted and they can be redrafted. And as our community begins to learn, grow and improve their behaviour, we're going to hopefully get to a place where we can start to put more restrictive and binding requirements," added waste services branch manager Denis Jubinville.
The city is working to develop a grant program to help businesses and charities with transition costs, Jubinville said.
Stores will have to charge a $0.15 fee on new paper bags and a $1 fee for reusable bags, rates that will increase in 2024.
The rule changes are no problem for the Italian Centre Shop. It already charges for bags, which its president says saves more than a million plastic items a year. Her stores are also shifting from plastic to biodegradable bags.
"I think that everybody really realizes that this is the way to go, that this is a good thing for everybody, and what’s good for the environment is good for everybody," Teresa Spinelli told CTV News Edmonton.
Violations of the bylaw could amount to fines of at least $500, with penalties doubling for subsequent offences.
Exemptions on styrofoam are built into the bylaw, including for charitable organizations, health-care facilities and the packaging of uncooked meats.
Night clubs, casinos, sports venues, and festivals will still be allowed to use disposable cups and dishes, because the bylaw states requiring reusable items in those scenarios is either unreasonable or a potential safety concern.
Edmontonians discard an estimated 450 million single-use items such as shopping bags, takeout containers, cups, utensils and straws every year, a city report states.
"While it doesn’t have everything that we’ve advocated for, what it is, is a tailored, well thought out and reasonable bylaw. Most importantly we believe it will have a real and substantial impact on the reduction of waste in Edmonton," said Sean Stepchuk with Waste Free Edmonton.
Federal restrictions on single-use items are set to take effect on Dec. 20, 2023, at which time the city's bylaw may be amended to comply.
Councillors Karen Principe and Jennifer Rice voted against the bylaw.
"I have a healthcare background, and I can tell you hepatitis is a very viral virus, and that is a concern of mine," Principe said.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson
Correction
A previous version of this story stated that Coun. Sarah Hamilton commented the bylaw would complement the incoming federal legislation. In fact, that argument was by made by a city administration worker.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.