Introduction of Waste Reduction Act in PEI successfully delayed

RCC successfully advocated for the PEI Department of Environment to delay the introduction of its proposed Waste Reduction Act, which was scheduled to be tabled in the House of Assembly this Fall.

The intent of the Bill was to work towards the elimination of certain single use plastic items in the restaurant and grocery industries. RCC raised concerns that the proposed Act contained such a broad definition of ‘single use products’ that it could have unintentionally banned necessary packaging in the restaurant, grocery and general merchandise retail sector. RCC noted how product producers in the international supply chain would likely not change their business practices for PEI and thus, product costs and product availability would be affected. Given that the federal government is currently working on a national initiative involving single use plastics, RCC suggested that the PEI government should at least wait until after such change occurs at the federal level before proposing any change for PEI.