The City of Edmonton said 73% of shoppers have moved to reusable bags for the majority of their shopping trips one year into the single-use items bylaw. This means most people will continue skipping the new bag fees that take effect Monday — paper bags will cost 25 cents and new reusable ones will cost $2. “Time and again, our research shows that Edmontonians care about the environment and want to do their part to make a difference,” said City of Edmonton Branch Manager, Waste Services Denis Jubinville in a press release. “Through their continued efforts, we are reducing our environmental footprint while still supporting local businesses and the economy.”The City of Edmonton said the planned increase was established through the single-use items bylaw passed in 2022 and takes an approach similar to other jurisdictions. It added bag fees encourage customers to reduce waste by bringing their own bags and helping businesses cover the costs of paper and reusable ones. As of December, it said 76% of food service licence holders visited by its Waste Services education outreach team were in full compliance with the bylaw, with another 23% in partial compliance. Using an education-first approach, it works with businesses to help them reach full compliance. It pointed out single-use items are among those most often found in Edmonton's litter. When fewer of these items are produced and used, less waste ends up in streets, parks, and landfills. “When the Bylaw came into effect last year, we heard that some people felt frustrated with the new requirements,” said Jubinville. “Habits and norms are being challenged, and that kind of change can initially be inconvenient.”The City of Edmonton encouraged businesses to implement systems to help people avoid the bag fee such as setting up take a bag, leave a bag stations or providing used cardboard boxes for customer use. Edmontonians can drop off and pick up free reusable bags at the Reuse Centre. While the bylaw can cause inconvenience, Jubinville said it “is often short-lived and can motivate people to change their behaviour to reduce waste and litter.” Early results show it is heading in the right direction. “The fee on bags encourages customers to use whatever bags they have, as often as they can, for as long as they can,” he said. Edmonton city council said in 2022 its single-use items bylaw will help reduce waste by targeting items that can be avoided or replaced with reusable options. READ MORE: Edmonton new Single-use Item Reduction Bylaw will go into effect on July 1The bylaw went into effect in July. The City of Edmonton said the purpose of the bylaw was to regulate single-use items to reduce waste and litter, increase recycling and other responsible waste management methods, and encourage the use of reusable alternatives.
