Details of Vancouver's plastic straw and shopping bag ban released
Suggests ban on straws by April 2020; 1-year exemption for straws served with bubble tea
A City of Vancouver staff report outlining a recommended plastic straw and shopping bag ban has been made public.
In the report, city staff recommend banning plastic and compostable plastic straws by April 2020.
There's a recommendation of a one-year exemption for straws served with bubble tea to allow businesses time to find alternatives.
The report also recommends that accessible, bendable plastic straws wrapped in paper be provided only if someone asks for one.
The report breaks disposable, single-use items into four categories: cups, utensils, straws and shopping bags.
Compostable plastic bags would be banned beginning in January 2021.
Paper bags would be required to be made of at least 40 per cent recycled material and come with a 15-cent fee to start. Disposable cups would have a 25-cent fee attached to them.
And single use utensils — regardless of what they're made out of — would have to be given out by request only.
The new cup and utensil rules would also start at the beginning of 2021.
Staff will present the report to city councillors next Wednesday.