GUELPH – Guelph is taking the next step in banning more single-use plastics.
For Phase 2 of the bylaw, businesses will have to accept customers' clean reusable cups and containers for takeout and leftovers if the customer chooses.
If ratified at the full council meeting later this month, the next phase would come into effec in March 2025.
The first phase of the bylaw was approved in April 2022 banned most plastic bags and Styrofoam.
City staff recommended council approves the single-use items bylaw and report to be approved at committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday.
Single-use items like utensils, stir sticks, condiments, beverage cup sleeves and trays can be given by request of customers at businesses. Plastic straws are the exception because they are banned by the federal government. Paper compostable straws are acceptable.
Fees for single-use plastic items was an idea staff reviewed but staff won’t recommend the fees due to the current economic climate, said Nectar Tampacopoulos, general manager for the city’s environmental services.
“Instead, Guelph has opted to implement measures in our bylaw that encourage sustainable practices by residents and businesses,” he said.
Businesses will be given a nine-month notice of the bylaw so remaining single-use items can be used up ahead of time.
Education and communication about the bylaw is city staff’s approach to implementing it effectively. In Phase 1 of the bylaw, 12 businesses were not following the bylaw and after discussions with the business owners they were then in compliance, said Tampacopoulos.
The cost to implement Phase 2 of the bylaw is between $7,000 to $10,000. This would include promotion and communication material put out to businesses and the community.
Paper shopping bags businesses offer must have 40 per cent post-consumer recycled content.
“Guelph will be the first in Ontario to include post-consumer recycled content for paper bags,” said Tampacopoulos.
Charities, non-profit organizations, hospital and community care facilities, alcoholic beverages and special events do not have to accept reusable cups.
Coun. Carly Klassen asked staff if there is any research about people bringing their own reusable food containers to restaurants for take-out.
It’s something staff is considering for the future but wanted to start with cups to see how it was implemented before expanding it to other food ware items. In staff's research there is no legislation from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public prohibiting businesses to accept reusable containers.
Mayor Cam Guthrie introduced an amendment to the original motion for staff to include the use of reusable containers in the bylaw and for it to come into effect in March. Guthrie credited Klassen for the idea.
The amendment was voted in favour unanimously by council. The motion was also voted in favour unanimously.
Klassen has thought about the idea of people bringing their own reusable containers to restaurants for years. She’s brought containers to restaurants in the past but her request for the containers to be used was denied.
“We should be able to bring in our own containers to get takeout food. It really reduces the cost to businesses, and it reduces the waste that ends up in our landfills that we have to pay to process,” said Klassen.
The motion will come back to council at the end of the month.
