Port Moody residents that frequently favour plastic bags when shopping in the city will have noticed a significant change in the last week.
On Earth Day Friday (April 22), the City of the Arts implemented its new bylaw that bans single-use plastic and styrofoam items as part of efforts to eliminate unnecessary production and contribute to the environment's preservation.
The switch was approved by city council on Oct. 12, 2021, and bans the distribution of the following:
- Plastic checkout bags
- Foam containers for prepared food
- Plastic stir sticks
- Plastic drinking straws (except where required for accessibility needs)
While Port Moody is officially the first Tri-Cities municipality to completely rid of plastics, there are some exceptions to the bylaw.
Plastic bags will still be allowed to package loose bulk items like fruit, vegetables, nuts and candy, as well as loose hardware items like nails and screws.
They can also be used to wrap prepackaged frozen foods, meat, poultry or fish, flowers and potted plants, protect other items that aren’t prepackaged or clothes that have been dry cleaned.
As the single-use plastic bylaw is new to the community, enforcement is set to be done on a "complaint-driven" basis.
Port Moody building, bylaw and licensing manager Robyn MacLeod told the Tri-City News on Thursday (April 28) the city will work with businesses directly "to educate them about the bylaw before issuing any tickets for an offence."
Up to $10,000 in fines could be issued to local businesses that continue to use single-use plastics, plus the costs of prosecution under the Offence Act, or $1,000 if a ticket is issued by a city bylaw officer.
Residents are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags, pay $2 for one or buy paper bags for 25 cents each.
According to Laura Hardman, the director of plastics for Ocean Wise, ocean researchers "have found plastic just about everywhere they have looked, from deep sea sediment to our shorelines."
In July 2020, B.C. amended a regulation under the Community Charter allowing local governments to enact such bans without ministerial approval.
Bans have since been approved and implemented in places like Vancouver, Surrey, Richmond, Victoria and other island communities.
For more information on Port Moody's single-use plastics, you can visit the city's website.
Walmart also announced on Earth Day its going to stop producing plastic grocery bags at its two locations in the Tri-Cities.
Customers to the supercentres in Coquitlam Centre Mall (#3010-2929 Barnet Hwy.) and Port Coquitlam (2150 Hawkins St.) are also encouraged to bring their own reusable shopping bags as the company continues its phased approach before May.
There are also exceptions for available plastic bags in its bulk, meat and produce departments.
- with files from Mario Bartel, Tri-City News
