Committee endorses Calgary single-use plastics reduction strategy and bylaw

City of Calgary administration said the city sees millions of plastic grocery bags, plastic utensils and takeout containers thrown in the garbage every week.

A Calgary city committee has given an early approval to the city’s plan to address single-use plastics, but some councillors feel the plan doesn’t go far enough and others felt it needs more work.

According to a study conducted by the city in 2019, approximately 3.5 million plastic shopping bags, 6.4 million plastic utensils, 2.4 million takeout containers and 2.4 million disposable cups are thrown away in the residential and commercial garbage every week.

In response, city officals have proposed a bylaw that would require local businesses to charge a minimum fee of $0.15 for paper bags and $1.00 for reusable bags.  The minimum fee would increase to $0.25 per paper shopping bag and $2.00 per new reusable shopping bag one year after the bylaw is implemented.

The bylaw also includes a requirement that paper shopping bags contain at least 40 per cent recycled content.

Items like straws, utensils, pre-packaged condiments and napkins would also only be provided at the request of the customer under the proposed bylaw.

City administration said the plan isn’t an additional municipal ban on single-use plastic shopping bags, as the federal government has its own ban.

Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness voted in opposition of the plan after raising several concerns, like a lack of compostable bags as part of the plan.

Wyness told reporters the plan is a “redundancy” because of the federal ban on single-use plastic bags.