Victoria considers significant draft single-use bylaw

Victoria City Council will consider a draft single-use item reduction bylaw at their December 8, 2022 meeting. The bylaw would require:

• A 25-cent fee to be charged per single-use cup distributed (kept by business, not applicable to prepackaged beverages);
• A 25-cent fee to be charged for orders with single-use food service containers (kept by business, not applicable to prepackaged food);
• The menu and receipt must display “Single-use cup fee:” or “Single-use container fee:” and the amount of the fee;
• Single-use accessories (forks, spoons, knives, chopsticks, beverage cup lids (except for hot beverages), straws, stir sticks, drink plugs, drink trays, cup sleeves, napkins, and, condiment and seasoning packages) will be by request or self-service only;
• Reusable cups or food service wear must be provided for on-site dining (subject to exemptions) except where food wrappers or paper sleeves are provided to customers (not applicable to prepackaged beverages or food);
• The bylaw does not apply to the sale of single-use items sold as a product, ordinarily in multiples.

Effective dates would be based upon the passage of the bylaw and are generally between three months and two years after the passage of the bylaw.