City bans foam containers, straws

Plastic straws and white foam containers will soon be a thing of the past in Vancouver.

Council voted Wednesday to ban plastic straws and foam cups and takeout containers effective June 1, 2019 — six months earlier than initially proposed — making it the first municipality in Canada to ban the single-use disposable items.

“It’s a big boost towards Zero Waste 2040,” Mayor Gregor Robertson told council.

Council also voted to provide more funding for outreach and education to support businesses and organizations affected by the ban.

It did not impose a ban on plastic bags or disposable coffee cups, opting instead to work with businesses to reduce their use, whether by charging customers a fee, providing incentives not to use them, or ditching the items altogether.

If businesses do not hit target reduction rates by 2021, the city can implement stronger measures.

Some speakers warned council the ban might have unintended consequences for people reliant on plastic bags and straws, including those with disabilities and lowincome people.

A speaker from the Potluck Cafe Society, which provides healthy meals for people in the Downtown Eastside, expressed concern over the effect the new measures would have on their operating costs.

Joe Hruska, of the Canadian Plastic Industry Association, told council before the vote that the ban will increase landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions. He called on council to defer the ban and consult with industry to find other solutions.

Some councillors raised concerns that the ban might affect businesses’ and consumers’ bottom lines and worsen affordability. But Robertson said the city is spending $2.5 million a year to collect single-use waste items from public trash bins and litter in public spaces.