Time to break out those reusable cups and have it ready for your coffee shop stops.
In Vancouver, coffee will be costing a little extra if you are getting it to go in a single-use cup.
Starting January 1, 2022, the City of Vancouver is requiring all businesses charge at least $0.25 for use of disposable cups. This includes soft drinks, coffee, and all beverages.
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That means when you purchase a pop at a fast-food chain, or a PSL at Starbucks, you will be paying at least a quarter more for the drink, unless you bring your own cup to use.
So far the initiative is only in the City of Vancouver. However, other cities may impose the same in the future.
“As a coastal city, the health of our ocean, beaches and shoreline is vital to Vancouver,” says Mayor Kennedy Stewart. “These by-laws are key components in the City’s strategy to reduce waste and litter from single-use items and help address the urgent problem of global plastic pollution.”
These changes were initially going to be implemented in 2021, however they got delayed due to the pandemic.
Campaign to Reduce Single-use Items
The city stated that in 2018, more than 82 million single-use cup were thrown away in Vancouver alone. Most of these were not recycled and ended up in the landfill. Not only does this cost tax payers money in garbage collection, but it also has long lasting negative effects on the environment.
There is already a similar cost associated with non-reusable shopping bags at the grocery store. Moving forward, a charge of $0.15 for paper bags will also be applied.
This is in addition to bylaws that are already in effect against plastic straws, utensils and foam containers.
It’s expected that these fees will rise again in 2023.
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