Chilliwack – SEPTEMBER 21 UPDATE – Following community consultation and provincial approval, at the September 21 Regular Meeting of Council, City Council adopted the Single-Use Item Reduction Bylaw, which will come into effect April 1, 2022, following an education campaign. The new bylaw will help reduce waste from single-use items in the landfill and littered throughout the community.
In July 2021, the provincial government amended the Community Charter to allow local governments to enact regulations related to plastic single-use items, and in August 2021 informed the City that the Single-Use Item Reduction Bylaw could be adopted if amended to match provincial legislation.
The Single-Use Item Reduction Bylaw bans plastic shopping bags, foam cups and take-out containers, plastic straws except those for accessibility needs, and plastic disposable utensils. The bylaw also implements a minimum fee for some single-use items made from other materials, while requiring other single-use items to be available by request only.
“Reducing single-use items in our community will help reduce litter, harm to the environment, and waste sent to the landfill,” said Mayor Popove. “We all have a part to play in waste reduction, and this new bylaw is a great tool for us to move forward together in a greener way.”
Exemptions include plastic shopping bags used in the course of providing charitable food services and foam containers in hospitals and community care facilities. Businesses must continue to provide accessible beverage straws to those with accessibility needs.
To learn more about single-use item reduction in Chilliwack, visit chilliwack.com/singleuse. The current implementation date of April 1, 2022 could be subject to change based on the COVID-19 pandemic and the status of economic recovery.
ORIGINAL STORY MARCH 16, 2021 – While Council was talking public art at Tuesday’s council meeting, that overshadowed another piece of business.
The City of Chilliwack is working to reduce single-use items in the community. As part of the City’s Single-Use Item Reduction Strategy, the City has introduced a draft Single-Use Item Reduction Bylaw, which aims to reduce litter, environmental harm and waste sent to the landfill from single-use items, and is seeking feedback from businesses and residents by April 16, 2021.
The draft Single-Use Item Reduction Bylaw proposes to ban plastic shopping bags, foam beverage cups, foam take-out containers, plastic straws except those for accessibility needs, and plastic disposable utensils. The bylaw also implements a minimum fee for some single-use items made from other materials, while requiring other single-use items to be available by request only. Council has indicated their intention to extend the ban to cover bulk sales of single-use items if these aren’t banned through Federal or Provincial regulations in the near future. The Single-Use Item Reduction Bylaw is intended to come into effect on January 1, 2022, but the timelines for implementation will consider the COVID-19 pandemic and the status of economic recovery.
Chilliwack businesses can visit engagechilliwack.com/singleuse to review the draft bylaw, timeline, and share their feedback through an online survey until April 16, 2021. Residents can also share their feedback and other ideas about reducing waste from single-use items on the page. Feedback will be taken into consideration as the City finalizes details for implementation of the Single-Use Item Reduction Strategy and develops educational materials to assist businesses with this initiative.
“We know that some businesses have been particularly hard hit over the past year, so it’s important to us that we get their thoughts on this initiative,” said Mayor Popove. “As a Council, we are looking forward to reducing waste in the community and supporting our local businesses as they transition to sustainable alternatives.”
City Council has given first, second, and third reading to the draft Single-Use Item Reduction Bylaw, and is now seeking feedback from the community. Bylaws that ban single-use plastics also require approval from the provincial Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. To work as efficiently as possible, the draft bylaw has been submitted to the Province concurrently, for approval in principle, while public feedback is collected.
The City’s Single-Use Item Reduction Strategy was developed with feedback from over 1,200 Chilliwack residents through an online survey and pop up booths, and from businesses through an open house, workshop, and an online survey. To learn more, visit engagechilliwack.com/singleuse.
