Richmond’s new Bylaw 10000 comes into effect March 27 and it bans plastic bags, straws and foam take-out containers.
Richmond Plastic Ban
As noted by the city “In Richmond, it is estimated that more than 35 million plastic checkout bags, plastic straws and foam cups and containers are disposed of in the garbage each year. Also, plastic waste can make its way into the environment and cause significant damage to the ecology, pose a significant threat to wildlife and potentially contaminate the food chain.”
Plastic bans have larger ramifications because plastic is a byproduct of oil extraction which is a significant driver of global warming.
But a situation that pits business owners against environmental concerns is a lose-lose scenario.
A ban on foam take-out containers in particular could hit many Richmond restaurants right where it hurts as they would be forced to implement more expensive take-out solutions instead of foam containers and plastic bags.
Unlike the City of Vancouver, Richmond will not mandate a charge for paper or reusable bags so at least those are an option. Biodegradable plastic bags are also banned
Effective Policy
Both Richmond and Vancouver will face anthropogenic climate change. Otherwise put, because of our actions today, regarding the climate emergency, there are risks for the Richmond and parts of Vancouver which include sinking. That is, maybe, unless we implement meaningful climate policies.
What we choose to eat and what we choose to wrap our food in matters.
While the language of the bylaw is clear in stating plastic bags are banned, some residents of Vancouver or Richmond may feel unclear on what this means as many businesses still supply shoppers with plastic bags. This could be due to a lack of enforcement.
The Richmond motion to adopt Bylaw 10000 passed September 2021, will come into effect this March; but, according to the city timeline but it won’t be enforced until this September.
Which begs the question, will Richmond’s Bylaw 10000 banning single-use-plastic be the policy that saves us?
There is one silver lining in all this, for the dog owners. The plastic bag ban does not cover bags used to pick up and discard dog poop. This is good because no one has much of a solution for that one.
Source/ 604now
