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Single Use Item Bans Come Into Effect December 20

Single Use Item Bans Come Into Effect December 20

Single Use Item Bans Come Into Effect December 20

Attention retail and food service businesses!

Starting December 20, a number of new regulations and prohibitions come into effect around single use items.   These rules are a mixture of federal regulations and provincial rules around single-use plastics and items.

1) On December 20, 2023, the following items will be prohibited altogether from being sold or handed out:

  • plastic utensils, including spoons, forks, knifes, chopsticks, stir sticks and drink splash plugs
  • plastic shopping bags 
  • food service ware made from expanded and extruded polystyrene foam, PVC, black coloured plastic, or oxo-degradable plastic including bowls, boxes or cartons, cups, containers, plates, platters and trays
  • plastic straws  (not including flexible straws packaged with a beverage ie: juice box)
And these items should now only be given at a customer’s request or from a self-service station:
  • wooden utensils
  • cup lids and sleeves   
  • straws (paper or other non-plastic only) 
  • single-serving condiments  
  • napkins or wet wipes
  • garnishes (e.g., plastic sushi grass, umbrellas for drinks)


2) Future dates for further restrictions to come into effect are set for 2024 

  • June 20, 2024, the following items are prohibited from being sold or given out:
    • Plastic ring carriers (6-pack rings)
    • Drink containers (ie: juice boxes) with flexible drinking straws attached to the package
  •  On July 15, 2024, the following restrictions come into effect:
    • Reusable shopping bags must have minimum fees 
      • Reusable bags are allowed to be sold for a minimum of $2
      • Recycled paper bags can be sold for a minimum of 25 cents
      • Recycled take-out bags can still be provided free by food service businesses for delivery and drive-through orders
    • Food service ware made of  polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) and all oxo-degradable plastics are banned   
Downloadable Resources:

More Info:

For more information on the Canada single-use plastics restrictions, visit the government site here > 

For full information on BC’s single-use bans, visit the government site here >