Fees for paper and reusable bags mandatory in B.C. starting Monday

The price of forgetting to bring a bag when shopping is going up in B.C.

Beginning Monday, B.C. businesses must charge customers at least $2 for a new reusable bag and at least 25 cents for a paper bag at checkout.

The fees are part of the province’s ongoing efforts to eliminate single-use plastics and align with the federal government’s phaseout of the items.

Only shopping bags are subject to the fee requirement. Plastic bags provided by grocery stores for holding produce or bulk items are not subject to a fee, nor are small paper bags measuring less than 15 centimetres by 20 centimetres when lying flat.

Municipalities across B.C. have implemented their own regulations over the years, but plastic shopping bags were not banned province-wide until Dec. 20, 2023. That’s also when rules banning single-use plastic utensils in food service took effect.

Other food service accessories, including disposable wooden utensils, straws, napkins, condiments, garnishes and drink cup lids and sleeves cannot be provided by default, though customers can still request them or take them from self-serve stations.

In addition to the bag fees taking effect Monday, businesses will no longer be permitted to use “Oxo-degradable” or compostable plastics for packaging or single-use items.

Oxo-degradable plastics “are often marketed as biodegradable, green, or eco-friendly,” but they contain additives that break down into microplastics, according to the province.

Likewise, the province says compostable plastics “need specific conditions to break down,” and often cannot be composted in B.C.’s composting facilities, instead ending up in landfills.

Monday’s changes also prohibit businesses from selling or distributing single-use food service ware – such as disposable takeout containers – made from certain, hard-to-recycle plastics.

More information on B.C.’s Single-Use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation can be found on the provincial government’s website.