B.C. implements province-wide fees for paper, reusable bags

A new B.C.-wide regulation now requires retailers to charge fees for paper and reusable bags, and a consumer advocate says it may come as a shock to shoppers.

“Where I think it will really come into focus, and we’ve already had complaints about this, is delivery orders,” said Greg Wilson with the Retail Council of Canada.

Starting Monday, B.C.’s single-use plastics ban means business operators can only sell shopping bags made of recycled paper or that are reusable. The province says shoppers must also pay at least 25 cents per paper bag, while a reusable one will cost a minimum of $2.

“If you’re reliant on (grocery) delivery, a lot of those come in reusable bags because they’re more durable. That’s $2 a bag. A woman pointed out that she had been charged $28 for 14 bags. That came as a shock,” Wilson told CHEK News.

“There are a number of retailers that will switch to cardboard boxes or reusable bins, but change takes time.”

BC United, meanwhile, says the “punitive” tax on reusable bags in B.C. requires businesses to “punish consumers in the middle of an affordability crisis.”

People living in certain municipalities, like Victoria, are likely already used to the fees. Yet, for others, Wilson says the new fees may lead to frustration at the tills.

“If you’re in Victoria, pretty much all of metro Victoria, the Capital Regional District had bag fees before. So probably not a shock to those consumers,” he said.

“But a surprise, I’d argue, to people in the Fraser Valley, interior north, some places up Island where they don’t have bag fees.”

The regulation has some exemptions, as bags available in-store for items like fruits and vegetables may be offered to customers free of charge.

Restaurants ready for plastic bag ban

The costs come as B.C. bans retailers from giving out plastic bags and certain packaging, also effective July 15 — something Ian Tostenson, president of the BC Restaurant and Foodservice Association, isn’t concerned about.

“There are really no issues at all for us,” said Tostenson.

In B.C., stores can no longer offer plastic shopping bags, and oxo-degradable plastic packaging and single-use products won’t be available for purchase.

This includes foodservice ware, like bowls and boxes, made of biodegradable plastic, polystyrene foam, polyvinyl chloride, or polyvinylidene chloride materials, as well as biodegradable plastic or PVDC film wrap and all oxo-degradable plastics.

“There are certain plastics that are banned and certain plastics that aren’t,” said Tostenson.

It’s the next phase of the CleanBC Plastics Action Plan, which aims to keep harmful waste out of landfills. Oxo-degradable plastics “contain chemicals that cause break down into microplastics and pollute the environment,” the province says.

It says an estimated 340,000 tonnes of plastic items and packaging were disposed of in B.C. in 2019, equating to more than 65 kilograms of plastic waste per person sent to the landfill in one year.

“Oxo-degradable is commonly in waste bags, so there might be some pet-waste bags that will disappear from shelves,” added Wilson.

READ ALSO: New federal and B.C. restrictions on single-use plastics now in effect

Tostenson says restaurants, for example, “are pretty much ready to go” as business owners have already been transitioning away from such bags and packaging. 

The federal government barred businesses from offering single-use plastic checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware, stir sticks, and straws on Dec. 20, 2023. On June 20, ring carriers, or beverage rings, were also banned federally.

And like bag fees, some municipalities, including Saanich and Victoria, previously banned plastic bags. The latter implemented the change locally in April 2021.

“We’re pretty much there. I was at a restaurant the other day, and they were using bamboo knives and forks, and they got rid of styrofoam a long time ago,” said Tostenson in an interview.

“It’s not going to affect us at all.”

However, he did voice concern for stadium venues that use plastic cups to serve beer. “What are they going to use as an alternative? But I’ve had a couple of conversations with stadiums here, and they say they have it figured out.”

What’s next?

The province announced the Single-Use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation last July, with changes to be rolled out through 2030, aligning with the Government of Canada’s target of zero plastic waste by the same year.

“Phasing out single-use items is part of the CleanBC Plastics Action Plan to help us move away from temporary and disposable plastics to durable and reusable products,” the province says in a news release Monday.

Come July 1, 2028, PVC film wrap, used to seal and secure food items in containers, will be banned in B.C.

“We don’t know where that’s going because we don’t have an alternative for it right now,” added Tostenson. “As far as today, no issues at all.”

By July 1, 2030, polystyrene foam trays will also be banned in the province.

Learn more about B.C.’s regulations here.

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