About Single-Use Plastic Ban

“No business shall sell or otherwise provide Prepared Food in any Food Service Ware that contains Polystyrene Foam.” - Bylaw 10000

Businesses in Richmond must not sell or provide prepared food in any foam food service ware, which includes but is not limited to plates, cups, bowls, trays, cartons, and hinged or lidded containers. Prepared food includes any food or beverage prepared for consumption by a customer. It does not include any raw, uncooked food, including meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs or vegetables unless provided for consumption without further food preparation. For example: using a foam tray for cut raw vegetables that are intended for a stir fry, or vegetables like spiralized zucchini or corn on the cob that still need to be cooked would be exempt. Using a foam tray for an orange that is peeled and sliced to be ready-to-eat, is not permitted as it is considered prepared food and banned under Bylaw 10000.

Exemptions:

• This ban does not apply to hospitals or any facility licensed as a community care facility under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act as these facilities have special health safety requirements.
• Organizations incorporated and in good standing under the Society Act or registered as a charitable society or organization under the federal Income Tax Act have 18 months to comply with Bylaw 10000 (compared to 12 months for businesses).
• Prepared food containers that have been filled and sealed outside of the City of Richmond prior to arrival at the business location are permitted under Bylaw 10000.

“No business shall sell or otherwise provide any Plastic Straws.” - Bylaw 10000

Plastic straws are banned with some exemptions as noted below. This means businesses must not sell or provide any drinking straw made with plastic, including biodegradable plastic or compostable plastic.

Exemptions:

• Businesses can provide plastic straws to people with accessibility needs when requested.
• The sale of plastic straws intended for use at a customer’s home or business is permitted under Bylaw 10000 provided that they are sold in packages of multiple straws.

“Except as provided in this Bylaw, no Business shall sell or otherwise provide a Plastic Checkout Bag to a customer.” - Bylaw 10000

Plastic checkout bags are banned with some exemptions as noted below. This includes any bag made of plastic, including biodegradable or compostable plastic, that is intended to be used by the customer for the purpose of transporting items purchased or received from the business, or intended to be used to package take-out or delivery food.

It’s important to note that there are a number of accepted uses for plastic bags that are permitted under Bylaw 10000 as listed in the exemptions. As well, this bylaw relates to plastic checkout bags – not all types of plastic. For example, plastic shrink wrap is not part of this bylaw.

Exemptions:

• Businesses can provide a plastic checkout bag to a customer if the bag has been returned to the business for the purpose of being reused by other customers. This is intended to support charitable organizations and thrift stores who commonly use this practice to cut costs for their customers and reuse materials already in circulation.
• Plastic bags may be used as packaging for:
  • loose bulk food items such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains or candy; 
  • loose small hardware items such as nails or bolts; 
    
  • frozen food, meat, poultry or fish, whether pre-packaged or not; 
    
  • flowers or potted plants;
  • prepared foods or bakery goods that are not pre-packaged; and 
  • prescription drugs received from a pharmacy.
• Plastic checkout bags may also be used for
  • transporting live fish;
  • protecting linens, bedding or other similar large items;
  • protecting newspapers or other printed material intended to be left at the customer’s residence or place of business; or
  • protecting clothes after professional laundering or dry cleaning.
  • The sale of plastic bags intended for use at a customer’s home or business is permitted under Bylaw 10000 provided that they are sold in packages of multiple bags.

The ban on plastic checkout bags and straws includes those that are labelled compostable/biodegradable as these items cannot be recycled and are currently not accepted at local composting facilities.

Ironically, these products can only go in the garbage. This is because compostable/biodegradable plastics are not guaranteed to breakdown in industrial compost facilities. Also, these materials may further contribute to the issue of plastic pollution, as they are not designed to biodegrade if littered in the natural environment.

Required standards and certifications are needed to ensure plastic products labelled compostable/biodegradable meet the requirements needed to compost effectively at existing processing facilities, which are designed to compost food scraps and yard waste in the region. 

Currently, because the products do not align with these standards, they don’t break down completely, resulting in problems such as small flecks of plastic remaining in the end compost product, rendering the product contaminated.

Local governments like the City of Richmond do not have the authority to control compostable packaging design and certification requirements; however, the City is reaching out to senior levels of government to advocate for broader measures that will result in consistent standards and policies for compostable/biodegradable plastics.

The following items will be banned effective March 27, 2022 under Bylaw 10000:

• Plastic checkout bags
• Plastic straws; and
• Foam (polystyrene) food service ware for prepared food (such as foam plates, clamshell containers, bowls and cups)

The ban on plastic checkout bags and plastic straws includes:

• Compostable plastics
• Biodegradable plastics

It is recognized that there are some exceptions that must be accommodated within the proposed bylaw to address health and safety considerations, accessibility and bulk purchasing of these items. For a complete list of exemptions please refer to the Single-Use Bylaw page.

The bylaw applies to all business license holders in the community – specifically any person, organization, or group engaged in a trade, business, profession, occupation, calling, employment or purpose that is regulated under the City's Business Licence Bylaw No. 7360 and includes a person employed by, or operating on behalf of, a business.

• Bylaw 10000 adopted by Council: September 27, 2021
• Bylaw 10000 is effective: March 27, 2022
• Bylaw 10000 is enforced: September 27, 2022
• Charitable Organizations exemption expires: March 27, 2023

In Richmond, it is estimated that more than 35 million plastic checkout bags, plastic straws and foam cups and containers are disposed of in the garbage each year. Also, plastic waste can make its way into the environment and cause significant damage to the ecology, pose a significant threat to wildlife and potentially contaminate the food chain. The goal of Bylaw 10000 is to encourage the reduction of unnecessary single-use items and move towards a more circular economy. An economy where the materials we use stay in circulation to be used, reused and recycled multiple times into new products.

The City will begin enforcement by continuing education and working with businesses to support their compliance efforts. This will be a staged approach to ensure that businesses have all the information and resources necessary to successfully comply. Penalties will be laid only once sufficient education and notice has been issued to the business in non-compliance.

No. Compostable/biodegradable plastic are not allowed as they are not accepted in the City’s Green Cart Program or recycling streams under Recycle BC, nor are they guaranteed to biodegrade if littered or sent to local industrial compost facilities. This is because standards and certifications are not required or aligned with the processing requirements for existing infrastructure that are designed to compost food scraps and yard waste in the region.

The City is not requiring businesses to charge for alternative products at this time (i.e. paper or reusable bags). If a business would like to implement fees, it will be at the businesses own discretion.

No, plastic straws are banned for general use. However, if the person indicates that the straw is needed due to a disability or other accessibility need, a straw can be provided. Please note that a business cannot ask for proof of disability or inquire further details.

Yes. The BCCDC has confirmed COVID-19 transmission from handling reusable items has not been documented and as such, is a low risk to the community. The use of reusable items, such as grocery bags, coffee mugs, and containers for takeaway are permitted. BC Public Health supports the use of reusable containers as they reduce garbage and improve environmental health. See the guidelines for reusable containers, to learn more about proper control measures. The guidance includes procedures for reusable containers provided by the food premises and customer-supplied containers. For more information please visit the BCCDC website.

In some dog-friendly parks, plastic bags are available to scoop animal waste. These bags are not affected by the ban. You can also purchase these from most pet stores or general/grocery stores.

If you are using a plastic or metal trash bin you could reduce your environmental impact by not using a liner, dumping into a large garbage bag in your cart and washing out the trash bin once emptied. Alternatively, stores will still be able to sell trash bin liners and garbage bags.

Yes, the ban only applies to new and unused bags. You are welcome to reuse old bags that you may have at home, including bringing them into the store to put your purchases in.

Single-use items – such as checkout bags, straws, utensils and take-out containers – are items that are intended to be used only briefly before they are thrown away or recycled. While many of these items can serve valuable functions—such as food waste reduction, storage, or transportation—in some situations, they can be avoided or replaced with reusable, recyclable or compostable alternatives. As a community, we need to rethink the amount of waste we are generating and work together to incorporate small changes – such as reducing single-use items— to work towards a more circular economy. It is important to note that in some cases, single use items may be necessary for disability and accessibility needs and for health and safety considerations.

The circular economy is an industrial system that looks to transform the current “take-make-dispose” process of consumption into "repurpose-renew-regenerate." The circular economy model aims to keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them while in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life.