Return-It and Vancouver to launch collecting stations to reduce single-use cup waste

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Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart and Return-It are set to launch collecting stations Wednesday around the city in a bid to reduce single-use cup waste.

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Collection stations will be installed in public and commercial spaces to collect and clean reusable cups and recycle disposable cups. Companies participating in the program are Tim Hortons, Starbucks, A&W Canada and McDonald’s Canada.

In addition to single-use cups for hot and cold beverages, the pilot will also introduce a reusable cup program. Customers can sign up to use reusable cups that will be washed, sanitized and returned to retail locations.

The launch Wednesday is taking place in the park adjacent to the Vancouver Club at 915 West Hastings Street.

Vancouver’s ban on plastic bags and fees began Jan.1, meaning businesses are no longer allowed to offer plastic bags and they are required to charge fees for paper bags and single-use cups.

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The ban includes plastic shopping bags made from fossil fuels, plastic bags labeled or described as compostable or degradable, and plastic bags made from plants or other biological materials.

Also, businesses are required to charge a minimum of 15 cents for a paper shopping bag, 25 cents for a single-use cup, and $1 for a new reusable shopping bag.

Vancouver is the first city in Canada to bring in a policy where city restaurants and cafés have to charge 25 cents for every throwaway cup they distribute, however some US cities, such as Berkeley, Calif., have a similar policy.

The companies keep the fees but they are encouraged to use the extra money to comply with new environmental laws or invest in renewable alternatives.

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Restaurants that participate in reusable cup-share programs will be exempt from reporting to the city the number of disposable cups they distribute each year when they renew their business licenses.

McDonald’s Canada has yet to bring back a policy allowing customers to use their own reusable mugs, however the restaurant chain does allow reusable mugs in Vancouver because of the fee. The company says reintroducing the reusable travel mug program nationally will be handled in a phased approach.

Tim Horton’s and Starbucks brought back allowing reusable cups last month after suspending use due to COVID-19, while Starbucks is working on a plan to phase out disposable cups. In 2020, it began testing compostable cups with biodegradable lining called Bio-PBS to prevent drinks from leaking.

As for the plastic bag bans, many other cities have adopted this, including Surrey, Nanaimo, Rossland, Esquimalt, Victoria, Richmond, Saanich, Tofino and Ucluelet.

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—with a file from Susan Lazaruk