Single-use plastic limits being expanded

The B.C. Government is expanding regulations related to single-use plastic items that are hard to recycle.

The updated Single-Use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation will cover hard-to-recycle items like shopping bags, food service accessories, oxo-degradable plastics and food packaging made of polystyrene foam, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride), and compostable or biodegradable plastics.

The requirements related to the aforementioned products will come into effect in December, allowing a six-month window to educate the public and businesses about the new requirements, and providing time for businesses to use up their existing inventory.

“As part of our government’s CleanBC Plastics Action Plan, the regulation strengthens our efforts to prevent plastic waste and pollution, and ensure a better future for the people of B.C. through a healthier environment,” George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, said.

“Focusing on hard-to-recycle single-use and plastic items will help move B.C. to a circular economy where waste and pollution are eliminated, products and materials are kept in the economy through re-use and natural systems are regenerated.”

Additionally, the province plans to put a full ban on the use of polystyrene food trays. That will take effect in July of 2030.

“Reducing our consumption of fossil fuel-based single-use products is imperative to human and planetary health,” Lyndsay Poaps, Executive Director of the Recycling Council of British Columbia said.

“Recycling is important, but we need to prevent plastic from becoming waste in the first place. Regulating single-use and plastic items province-wide, and harmonizing that regulation with those of senior government, will help B.C. evolve to a more circular economy.”

Federal regulations from June of 2022 prohibit the manufacturing, importing and exporting of several single-use plastic items including checkout bags, cutlery and stir sticks, and straws. Sales of these items will also be banned Canada-wide starting in December..