(Victoria) A British Columbia town famous for its long beaches and waves has banned single-use plastic utensils.
Posted yesterday at 10:46 a.m.
The objective is to protect these beaches which are the tourist cachet of Tofino, explained the mayor Dan Law.
In particular, plastic knives and forks will be prohibited in establishments in the city. In 2020, the city council had banned single-use plastic bags, straws and polystyrene foam containers.
The new by-law was adopted last month by the city council. Restaurants and other businesses will have to comply by August, Law said.
Plastic utensils are among the most common items picked up from beaches and city parks during clean-up operations. He says banning them will help the environment, the mayor says.
“Everything collects in the ocean around here,” he says. This is not a place where you want to pick up plastic waste. It’s only one way to fight plastic pollution. »
Several companies have already started complying with the new regulations, Law adds. They adopted wooden utensils. Customers have also started to bring their own utensils.
“We want it to stay. We want all companies to know that we are serious about this. We were serious about plastic bags, we were serious about plastic straws. These objects eventually end up in the ocean. Regulations can solve this problem and bring everyone together. »
Those who violate the regulations may be fined. The amount is under study, said the mayor.
The campaign to pass plastic bylaws was started by residents, businesses and community groups to reduce pollution in the Tofino area, says Laurie Hannah, a coordinator at the Pacific Rim Surfrider Foundation.
“We are trying to make the zero-plastic goal a fashionable trend,” she says.
Mme Hannah says the plastic recycling rate stands at 9%, according to data from the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change.
The federal government announced in December that draft regulations banning single-use plastics had been released for public consultation.
In November, a bylaw banning plastic bags and other single-use plastic items, such as cutlery, came into effect in Laval, Quebec.