The B.C. government is expanding the range of single-use plastic products and packaging it can regulate and ban across the province. Plastic straws, stir sticks and utensils will be added to the list, which currently includes packaging materials like plastic checkout bags and single-use foam takeout containers. The new legislation was announced Tuesday and accompanying regulations are expected in 2023.
“We have heard the call for more direct action to reduce plastic debris and its impact on the environment and wildlife,” said Environment Minister George Heyman in a news release. “These changes mean we will expedite the actions under the CleanBC Plastic Action Plan to create a cleaner, stronger future for everyone.” Phase-out programs will be based on the “economic impacts of any bans” said the government’s news release.
According to the province, an estimated 340,000 tonnes of plastic waste were thrown out in B.C. in 2019 — more than 65 kilograms per person in one year. The announcement builds on changes announced earlier this summer, allowing municipal governments to ban single-use plastics without its approval, said the news release. More than 20 local governments now have single-use plastics bylaws in the works, and nine have bylaws in place, including Esquimalt, Nanaimo, Richmond, Surrey, and Victoria.