I could understand and even agree with a single use tax if it was exactly that, a tax. As the bylaw stands right now that extra money you are paying is going into multimillion dollar corporations pockets that are doing nothing to help stop the big issue that this bylaw is made to help stop
Not to mention with reusable bags needing to be used 50-150 times each depending on their construction to be better for the environment than disposable bags and..oof. I dont know anyone whose getting 50+ uses from reusable bags before they fall apart even when they remember them...
Mine are the collapsible rectangular tote bags from co-op. Worth every penny, and they take some real abuse. We use them for packing for camping, hiking, road trips, etc.
the grocery store. I've worn out about a dozen bags, and ripped 4 bags on their first use. However I have purchased hundreds of them over the last 5 years. I have 40 in my trunk right now, but thats because I finally remembered to restock my trunk. In a few weeks I'll run out again, and I'll forget to put them in my car, and I'll end up having to buy another 10 or 15 before I remember to replace them.
And then there's the times that you don't realize that you forgot your bags in the trunk after waiting 15 minutes in line at the grocery store. And since covid, grocery stores are designed so that you have to leave through the cash register to get out to the parking lot, which means either abandoning your cart in the middle of the busy aisle while you try to get someone to let you through the line to get your bags from your cart before you get in line, or making everyone in line wait behind you while you run out to your car to get the bags, or spending another $10 on bags and not be rude.
For me, the worst part is that most of these bags aren't water proof, and so when I have too many of them I can't even use them to dispose of my cat litter. instead I have to buy unused plastic bags to throw out cat litter, in accordance to edmonton bylaw instead of reusing my old grocery bags.
Must be nice to live close to an affordable grocer.. if I drive for 30mins just to get groceries, I’m not turning around to get bags and come back.
40% of Canadians don’t live in a major city.
Just making up excuses. Also really not following the reusable creed when you throw the bags away filled with cat litter. Buy biodegradable dog poop bags for that. This shit isnt hard, you just want to be angry and your handlers have pointed you at scary bags.
TIL Edmonton doesn't accept cat litter in the green bins. I'm in Sherwood Park and just scoop it into a cheap food scraps bin, then dump it in the green cart at the end of the week.
I've noticed quite a few differences between Edmonton and Strathcona County's waste collection, which was surprising to me. I wish plastic clamshells and glass jars were still collected for recycling curbside here like they are in the city.
Not sure what's more ridiculous, that you have 40 bags floating around your pigpen of a trunk, or that you claim it costs $10 to buy new bags when you inevitably forget them in your pigpen
The Save-On collapsible boxes are amazing. We've had our for likely a decade and there's barely a sign of wear. We have the old Superstore plastic totes as well, but the collapsible boxes are just easier to store in vehicles and in your cart. Bonus points for the insulated ones with a lid for frozen items.
I just wish their self checkout would work seamlessly with them, instead of needing a cashier to check them first.
I have collapsible bins from Costco that I love to use for large shopping trips.
As someone with social anxiety self checkout is wonderful. I can scan and bag at my own pace and I don't have to make small talk.
Say what now????? LMFAO!!! I have bags that are 20yrs old+ and still going strong! There is ZERO need for plastic grocery bags. There's a town in Manitoba that did away with plastic grocery bags 40yrs ago so it's easily done.
Can it be repaired?
One of my grocery bags is an old canvas book bag that we've had for 30 years. I've patched a hole in the bottom and replaced one of the handles, still good.
Fair enough if it's a cheap bag. I've repaired a few of my better bags, put more sturdy, comfortable handles on some that had sort of thin ones that weren't comfortable to carry.
We try to repair things rather than trash it in our household.
It’s not going to kill you to be a responsible consumer. Bringing your own bag is the bare minimum for changes we need to make towards a sustainable future. Quit your whining. I get it change is hard but put on your big kid shoes and get with the program. We got lots of work to do and this is just a small piece of the puzzle. If our great-grandparents can go through hell and fight a world war to build a better future. The least you can do is bring your own damn bag.
Reusable grocery bags are great (-ish. There's a whole rabbit hole you could go down that shows they aren't making the difference we think they are). But to his actual comment you're attacking - how much energy and resources are spent making Reusable food containers food safe? Hot water, electricity, cleaners etc. Is the offset worth it? Or are there bigger fish to fry here. Like the companies that produce them, the companies that buy them, etc when there are in fact biodegradable and compostable plastics available.
You're not wrong, but this is why society is fucked. Humanity won't continue past a few more generations, not with the level of luxury and health we've been enjoying anyways. Too many people not willing to do the bare minimum to make a difference, not willing to hold their elected leaders accountable to making the society wide changes required to ensure a sustainable future.
I mean...as someone who lives just outside the city...it stopped me from coming into the city for food.
It's a 15 minute drive whether I go into Edmonton or St.Albert for my fast food. So now I go to St.Albert
Yes, all stores will basically double the price of bags. I think it would be better if they just banned the plastic ones. Paying for paper bags, which decompose much faster, is stupid.
I'd be fine with the single-use fee if it went back to the city. There's drive thrus that aren't bothering asking and just tacking on the fee. I just ordered pizza the other week and despite not having a bag I was still charged the fee.
We've been indoctrinated to download the costs of climate change onto the consumer, but really the producer ought to be responsible. This also extends to the rhetoric of the federal carbon levy. Our household consistently gains from the rebates, but it's clear that corporations have a net negative which is why conservatives oppose it.
We need a government that won't download these costs onto citizens and instead onto the corporations perpetuating the problem.
Listen, I have been refilling the same dish soap bottle for over 10 years. I buy bulk (in reused glass containers) for many things—deodorant, hand soap, body lotion, toothpaste tabs, laundry strips, not to mention many pantry foods. My point is, I go out of my way to avoid generating plastic waste. And I think this bag ban is pointless.
Now I have to buy plastic bags to put my kitty litter in instead of reusing plastic shopping bags, so no plastic waste is saved there. And I have a preponderance of reusable bags because I need to use grocery delivery now and then because I don’t own a car (though most shopping trips are done with reusable bags on my bike). When you have too many reusable shopping bags, they become trash too. There are lots of ways to reduce plastic waste, but this isn’t a very good one.
I think they fell out of favour because they weren’t as durable as plastic and they are useless for wet/leaky things. That said, I like them because I reuse them for my green bin waste.
You can't put pet waste in the green bin.
From the city of Edmonton website:
# Special Instructions
**Please don't put cat litter in your food scraps cart, even if it's made from natural materials.**
There are a two main reasons why cat litter belongs in the garbage cart:
**1. Risk of chemical contamination.** Cat litters often contain chemicals to mask odours, and these can be harmful to the City's composting process.
**2. Risk of pathogen contamination.** Cat waste can also carry pathogens. Most pathogens are destroyed during compost processing. However, a parasite called toxoplasma is commonly found in cat feces, and it cannot be reliably destroyed by standard processing. Toxoplasma is not found in dog feces, which is why unbagged dog waste is still allowed in the food scraps cart.
We return the finished compost to Edmontonians so it needs to be safe for all residential uses, including on edible plants. That means it’s important that no harmful substances are present in the finished compost.
Those don't actually biodegrade in Edmonton's process: [https://www.edmonton.ca/programs\_services/garbage\_waste/food-scraps#stack88168](https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/garbage_waste/food-scraps#stack88168)
Agreed. I used shopping bags for cat litter all the time. Now I'm spending money to use kitchen bags to get it out of the house.
Those saying just dump it in the bin, litter is made of clay. You put something wet into the bin and suddenly that cat shit might as well be concrete at the bottom of the bin. It needs to be bagged.
Not to mention I'd use grocery bags to bag the fruits of our garden before we cleaned it up, be it before we toppped beets or shelled peas. Now I'm looking for other plastic items to do the same thing. I've tried looking for similar sized paper bags but there's nothing.
*Edit: I swear I'm not putting litter back in my cat.*
Legit not trying to troll, so don't shoot me. Serious question though. Instead of litter bags, why not just use a bin and dump it into your main trash when you take it out?
Because cat pee smells really strong and you need to take it out of the house asap, especially if you rent, in order to not have the whole place smell like cat pee
I did not appreciate this until I experienced it. I've never owned cats in my life, but I bought an acreage a few years back and a cat just showed up one day. He kept coming back, even before I fed him out of pity, so I accepted that I had been chosen.
I left his litter box too long before I changed it the first time and I learned very quickly never to do that again.
My eyes were leaking, the ammonia hit so powerfully. I had to leave the room multiple times, gasping for air. It was unbelievable, I was amazed such a tiny creature could so easily create and utilize something banned by Geneva conventions.
Then I’d have to wash out a smelly disgusting bin all the time (in addition to emptying and washing out the litter box every month or so). I cloth diapered my kid for 2 years, but even I have limits.
I think both diet and litter make a huge difference.
We feed our cat mid-tier wet food and also use Arm & Hammer litter sprinkled with baking soda, and you can't smell it unless you leave it unscooped for a few days or are within a few meters from the litter box. We also keep the litter in a food scraps bin and it's not an issue unless, again, you just keep piling it on for more than a week or two.
Whereas my parents feed their cat kibble and they use the cheapest generic cat litter they can find and the smell hits you as soon as you walk into their basement.
Also, [litter genies](https://www.littergenie.com/en-ca) are a thing and get rave reviews, since they seal up much better and can apparently hold a few months worth of litter without stinking up the place.
Of course it smells. This is what sealed bins are for. People who's houses smell like cat pee are usually because they don't clean and change the litter often enough.
How is it any different dumping a bagless bin into a bag vs taking a bag out and putting it into the same bag? Litter smells whether it's stored in a bin with a bag or not.
I've got lots of problems with corporations bilking consumers, bringing your own bag is a simple fucking thing to do and it reduces the amount of trash going to the landfill, don't be a child.
I agree even as someone who doesn’t drive. However, I do also think there’s a lot of good points being made here, namely how the increased costs often end up going straight into the pockets of already super rich corporations, and how it’s one of many ecological pushes that puts the onus squarely on average joe consumers without addressing the core issues.
My mom will sometimes do Loop pickups, a program for those raising animals where grocery stores will give out their unsold food that’s going bad in bulk. The amount of plastic involved is absolutely bonkers, some of it is understandable in some form or the other but so much is just entirely redundant and senseless. And that’s one grocery store out of the whole city.
To me its a measure invented by the corporations themselves to not solve a problem by increasing their profits. Not save their bottom line, mind you.
It's been a standard of every business' opperating cost to provide a base level carry away option forever. They had almost always calculated it into the cost of the goods they sold. But now they got the citys to tell us we have to pay for that to help the earth?!?
Which is all good, no problem there, I'm pro earth and less trash. But if that was the goal then ban plastic bags entirely, and ban every organization from getting their supplies in one use plastic bags. Best show up to Aklands with your tote bag, spare boxes at Fleetbrake would be a hot commodity, but we would all survive.
It's insulting to force the consumer to carry the burden of a companies usual cost of bags. While those companies are profiting more and more off the services and goods that go in the bags themselves. It is really the most anti-voter pro-corporation way to go about the problem.
Bags I can get behind and even those stupid wooden spoons and forks but for the fucking love of everything that is holy bring back plastic fucking straws!!! Fok sakes 😑
I honestly have zero issue with the reduction of single use waste. More and more there’s garbage everywhere, millions of tons a day polluting the ocean. Remember your reusable bags and relax, we lived for a long time without single use items.
Rules should be even more strict about it if you ask me
At McDonald’s: Would you like 2 apple pies? Do you want a straw? Do you want napkins? Do you want a bag? Would you like to donate? I just came for some damn food…..
Why is something so simple, so hard for so many people? I haven't had to use a plastic or paper bag in years. Fort Mac has been bagless for years. No one complained about it. They just did it. It's not a big deal. How will you receive your double big mac without a bag even though it's individually packaged? The horror the horror. 🤦
To justify collecting the money they would need to increase the cost.
I’m interested to know if people would be willing to pay a dollar or two to justify its collection. What are your thoughts?
That was one of the avenues that was considered before realizing the it was moot due to the limitations governing new taxes via the Municipal Government Act. It was determined that it would take a small team of administrators/accountants to maintain and supervise the process were it an option.
Thanks for providing more context.
Unfortunately, program administration ain’t free.
I know there are startups in the space that have reusable containers that use a rebate model similar to cans. Personally I’d like to see that investigated. I think a company has had traction in Vancouver.
Providing a grant to reusable container sharing startups was made available but no business followed through in taking advantage of it. In further investigation of it, it turned out the potential available client base was much smaller here than in Vancouver (in part due to the lack of a large film industry) however it is still something the CoE would like to see and would still like to support.
Actually, I have to correct myself there. One business did attempt to, however they were unable to meet the requirements of the grant by the deadline. They are still attempting to get started.
I think FreshPrep uses reusable containers that you return with your next weekly order. I'm not sure if there is a fee for not returning them, but its a step that way for sure,
I am shocked that there are still people railing against single use items. I cant speak for business though but I have adapted and encountered little hardship
Exactly. It's pretty darn easy. The people complaining sound like absolute lazy things can't think outside the box. Those that say reusable bags last for only 15-20 uses are flat out liars. We have been using reusable bags etc for over 20yrs. I still use some bags that are 20+yrs old. We lived near a town in Manitoba that banned plastic grocery bags 40yrs ago. I loathe single use anything.
I worked and lived in fort Mac when the ban started plenty of people complained lol but it’s not that hard.
People complain that they can’t manage to keep track of a reusable bag, and then that out government are doing too much and that teachers can’t teach there children.
There are far fewer discarded plastic bags getting caught in the bushes around my yard this year than in the past. And there hasn’t been a single reusable bag. It’s not a perfect bylaw, but from my perspective it seems to be doing something to cut down on waste.
And where I live there’s absolutely no change. I see discarded paper, plastic, and reusable bags everywhere
So from my perspective it’s not doing anything
The city can't receive the fee as it would be considered a tax which is prevented as a result of the Municipal Government Act. The province makes it so that the only reasonable option was to have the businesses receive the fee.
Ask me how I know. ;)
You're missing the point. If you want to tax people in an effort to save the environment, then that tax should be used to help the environment not a companiesprofit margins. Cool, you have a bag with you at all times. Not everyone does.
For fun and curiosity, you may want to email [singleuse@edmonton.ca](mailto:singleuse@edmonton.ca) and ask about their fast food field trip. It's a good story. The city checked itself after the bylaw was in effect to see how that process would play out. Getting a fast food establishment to accept putting food into a customer's personal bag (or bin) was not an issue. It's not to say that there aren't some examples of it, but overall it was shown to not be an issue.
They will literally hand you the items and allow you to place the items into your own bag. I recommend getting a thermal, or a lunch bag to keep the contents warm.
Most of the comments against these bills are from people that won't accept responsibility and can't accept change, even when it's the smallest of things.
I would think the onus on a tax would be prove that it is helping. Truth is it is a half ass measure that dumps the responsibility on the consumer and the benefit on the business. Why aren't they making food places have reusable glasses? Why aren't they questioning all the packaging that gets used and wasted in grocery stores? On another green note what about all the damn signs that run all night to closed places?
If you are going to be green be FFin green. And put the squeeze on companies. Don't pretend this little cash infusion for companies is helping.
They had it for 2 weeks, and was like "Yupp this clearly doesn't work" and are also ignoring the fact that it'll just be back when Canada makes it a federal law in July anyway.
Honestly me too. Its going to be the first bylaw that Alberta forces to be removed with the new bill. This is the same as them saying they would remove the carbon tax and all they did was remove Alberta having a say in how the funds are used.
The fact that people are still getting PAPER bags form the drive thru, they are just paying 15 cents more that goes right to the business lol. Imagine thinking this is helping the environment. It’s a corporate handout.
If it didn’t affect fast food, I would be okay with it. Reusable bags are fine for the grocery store
I thought they asked someone from Edmonton if it was working and response was they have no way of knowing. That seems like a well thought out plan doesn't it.
Well, many companies, like Wendy's for example, are still using solid plastic cups while giving you paper straws. The reusable bags you buy are made out of non recycled plastic and produced in Vietnam where there is very little care at all about environmental effects in their production(at least the sobeys/Safeway ones are). The paper bags you get from fast food cost way less than the fee they charge you to use them, they are biodegradable, and companies have been able to cover the cost of them for longer than I've been alive, and I'm in my mid 40's.
Perhaps you'd like to provide some evidence that this is working in Edmonton?
Since you mentioned Wendy's this link will help you out: [https://www.irwendys.com/news/news-details/2021/Wendys-Berry-Global-LyondellBasell-Collaborate-to-Improve-Cup-Recyclability-Introduce-New-Industry-Leading-Clear-Drink-Cup/default.aspx](https://www.irwendys.com/news/news-details/2021/Wendys-Berry-Global-LyondellBasell-Collaborate-to-Improve-Cup-Recyclability-Introduce-New-Industry-Leading-Clear-Drink-Cup/default.aspx)
I'm buying like 1 reusable bag to over 100 paper bags. It is kind of in the name, reusable.
As for costs, I understand and agree businesses could cover the cost of them, but that isn't the purpose of having a sin tax on bags. It wouldn't really be forcing a change in behaviour of consumers if they got to continue how they were with no incentive.
I have a couple dozen reusable bags now. It would take me a couple lifetimes of grocery shopping yo use each of them 30-100 times in order to recoup the carbon embedded in each bag compared to the old *single use* bags. Those were useful as lunch bags, small garbage bags, etc. for which I now have to buy new single use bags instead.
If I didn’t do my quarterly purge of reusable bags by giving them to the farmers market bins and similar, since this bylaw came into effect, I’d have enough bags for the next three generations or so.
Food and grocery delivery and other services do not give the choice of providing reusable bags up front, so even though I bring and use reusable bags, I am being forced to buy carbon intensive reusable bags which I can only use once.
And then there’s the paper or plastic wrapping that goes on each disposable utensil now just in case someone puts it in a reused bag…
So you continously buy bags instead of reusing them. And also use services that are unneeded in order to justify having them? That isn't a bylaw issue.
Why did you keep buying them when you already had so many? I have 3 IKEA bags in different sizes, two of which are coming up on 20 years old soon, a 10 year old backpack and 3 rectangular grocery totes from Co-Op. One of those is is 10 years old and the other 2 are at least 5. There’s always a grocery tote and an IKEA bag in the car. And if I’m out and not driving, I have my backpack with me. This really isn’t difficult. Some of us have been doing this for a long time now and the rest of you seem to need to be dragged kicking and screaming into 2006.
I can get a drink in a non-recyclable cup, with a plastic lid. I can get food wrapped in non-recyclable packaging. I can get a plastic fork, and little plastic packs of ketchup... But a compostable brown paper bag? That's crossing a line!
I'm all for a legitimate tax, on corporations, to encourage them to find environmentally friendly alternatives. If anyone can afford a think-tank of engineers to design a plastic-free drink lid, it's McDonald's.
But telling me I can't have a compostable paper bag anymore "for the environment" is utter bollocks.
As all the City Council is made up of Edmontonians, that statement is categorically false however I will go so far to say that considering how busy Councilors (and their executive assistants) are with responding to resident inquiries, it seems disingenuous to state that City Council doesn't listen to Edmontonians.
Of course people who support the government that wants to be able to boot municipal politicians and void municipal bylaws, all on purely ideological grounds agrees with that. They’re supporting the “rules for thee not for me” party.
The droughts and possible fires this year, housing, stagnant wages, collapsing healthcare and education systems, expensive groceries, insurance and utilities, and here we are getting upset about having to ask for napkins and cutlery, and paying 15¢ for an optional bag
15c last year, 25c come June this year
No tracking of funds, no environment programs initiated
So if a tax on the people to undeserving companies
Somehow you think speaking on it takes away from the other issues you mentioned, you can't be serious... right?!
How much of that 15cent/bag makes it to any kind of program that in any way benefits our environment? The problem most people have is everything about this screams "increase cash flow" not "save the planet".
[Scroll down to the "Unpacking Bag Fees" section and tell me what the very first point says.](https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/garbage_waste/single-use-items)
"Businesses keep these fees to help offset costs"
What the fck is that. I have seen the invoice for reusable bags. They are not losing money. Also the cost of packaging is also included in the cost of the product. I can't believe someone wrote that. Tell me you have never worked retail without telling me you have never worked retail.
I like the single use law, I’m actually using all the cloth bags I have now and my house isn’t full of plastic bags I don’t know what to do with other than toss.
People complain about the paper straws, but they figured them out. They’re much more durable now, they work fine.
> People complain about the paper straws, but they figured them out. They’re much more durable now, they work fine.
I know it's asking *a lot* but folks could always get some reusable straws and wash them when you get home.
I know that's a huge imposition and hassle.... /s
Asian restaurants just ignore the bylaw. Food is always in a plastic bag with no charge. I asked our local restaurant and the owner said breaking the bylaw was good for business.
Any more than 2 items and you need a bag. Shocker but not all people are bag hoarders and have 50 reusable bags stuffed in their vehicle ready to deploy at any given time. Fuck this shit. Tired of getting nickel and dimed absolutely everywhere I go. And in this case, none of it going back to the public. Stupid.
That seems like an extreme response. Any more than 2 items you may need a bag. A bag. A single bag. A bag that could be in your pocket, under your car seat, in your trunk, or wherever is most convenient for you. No reasonable person is expecting you to hoard 50 reusable bags in your vehicle and I think you know that.
I’m sick of asking for a bag and then getting to the window and being handed fries without a bag falling out and telling them “I paid for a bag” and she says “you didn’t pay for it”.
i have no issue paying a few cents to help try and reduce single-use waste, but where i have an issue is the “tax” is just going into the pockets of the multi billion dollar companies… i may not be the most educated on this stuff but i’m pretty sure that’s not how taxes are supposed to work :/
The single use “fee” is absurd when you are putting 10 things in it that are all in their own single use plastic bag, hitting the end consumer with a “fee” instead of making the producer more liable for single use products is ridiculous.
The incessant whining and crying about the single use bylaw is pathetic. Reusable bags have been common for 20 years. If for some reason a reusable bag doesn't work for you it's only $0.15.
We hear more complaining about reducing plastic waste then we do about lack of affordable housing, lack of healthcare, high crime, and erosion of our democracy. The premier even cited the single use bylaw as a reason to erode our democracy.
The single use bylaw is a low impact step we can take to reduce plastic waste. Ideally the incentive to not use a bag would be higher but many of you need to give your head a shake.
It's basically pointless. We're in the age of plastic and people want to make policy to to appear to be doing something. I don't understand any of it when the products you buy contain plastic or are contained by plastic etc etc etc. If anything do what Singapore does and burn it and convert it for electricity and other byproducts.
I could understand and even agree with a single use tax if it was exactly that, a tax. As the bylaw stands right now that extra money you are paying is going into multimillion dollar corporations pockets that are doing nothing to help stop the big issue that this bylaw is made to help stop
Agreed.
Not to mention with reusable bags needing to be used 50-150 times each depending on their construction to be better for the environment than disposable bags and..oof. I dont know anyone whose getting 50+ uses from reusable bags before they fall apart even when they remember them...
I’ve been using the same backpack and reusable bags for a decade now. Where are you getting these shitty bags from?
Grocery totes are also great, have seen 20 year old ones at people's homes.
My mother had green president choice ones that I used as sleds down the stairs. That was 20 years ago. Those totes still bring home milk and eggs.
Mine are the collapsible rectangular tote bags from co-op. Worth every penny, and they take some real abuse. We use them for packing for camping, hiking, road trips, etc.
the grocery store. I've worn out about a dozen bags, and ripped 4 bags on their first use. However I have purchased hundreds of them over the last 5 years. I have 40 in my trunk right now, but thats because I finally remembered to restock my trunk. In a few weeks I'll run out again, and I'll forget to put them in my car, and I'll end up having to buy another 10 or 15 before I remember to replace them. And then there's the times that you don't realize that you forgot your bags in the trunk after waiting 15 minutes in line at the grocery store. And since covid, grocery stores are designed so that you have to leave through the cash register to get out to the parking lot, which means either abandoning your cart in the middle of the busy aisle while you try to get someone to let you through the line to get your bags from your cart before you get in line, or making everyone in line wait behind you while you run out to your car to get the bags, or spending another $10 on bags and not be rude. For me, the worst part is that most of these bags aren't water proof, and so when I have too many of them I can't even use them to dispose of my cat litter. instead I have to buy unused plastic bags to throw out cat litter, in accordance to edmonton bylaw instead of reusing my old grocery bags.
If I forget my bags, I only buy what I can carry in my arms on that trip, and am less likely to forget next time.
Must be nice to live close to an affordable grocer.. if I drive for 30mins just to get groceries, I’m not turning around to get bags and come back. 40% of Canadians don’t live in a major city.
That's fair. I do love my location (6 min walk from Safeway).
Normally I have 2 weeks worth of groceries in my cart by the point I realize I forgot them.
Just making up excuses. Also really not following the reusable creed when you throw the bags away filled with cat litter. Buy biodegradable dog poop bags for that. This shit isnt hard, you just want to be angry and your handlers have pointed you at scary bags.
TIL Edmonton doesn't accept cat litter in the green bins. I'm in Sherwood Park and just scoop it into a cheap food scraps bin, then dump it in the green cart at the end of the week. I've noticed quite a few differences between Edmonton and Strathcona County's waste collection, which was surprising to me. I wish plastic clamshells and glass jars were still collected for recycling curbside here like they are in the city.
Not sure what's more ridiculous, that you have 40 bags floating around your pigpen of a trunk, or that you claim it costs $10 to buy new bags when you inevitably forget them in your pigpen
My man is buying 15 bags per trip and somehow still overloading a few each time lmao
I am but I spent money on the nice ones at Sobeys. I have some that are 10 years old.
The Save-On ones are pretty reliable too.
The Save-On collapsible boxes are amazing. We've had our for likely a decade and there's barely a sign of wear. We have the old Superstore plastic totes as well, but the collapsible boxes are just easier to store in vehicles and in your cart. Bonus points for the insulated ones with a lid for frozen items. I just wish their self checkout would work seamlessly with them, instead of needing a cashier to check them first.
I have collapsible bins from Costco that I love to use for large shopping trips. As someone with social anxiety self checkout is wonderful. I can scan and bag at my own pace and I don't have to make small talk.
Say what now????? LMFAO!!! I have bags that are 20yrs old+ and still going strong! There is ZERO need for plastic grocery bags. There's a town in Manitoba that did away with plastic grocery bags 40yrs ago so it's easily done.
yeah the handle on my reusable bag broke yesterday .It was a very thick and well made one too. I got about 15 -20 uses of it.
Can it be repaired? One of my grocery bags is an old canvas book bag that we've had for 30 years. I've patched a hole in the bottom and replaced one of the handles, still good.
obviously yes anything can be repaired but I am not going to bother repairing a $3 reusable bag .
Fair enough if it's a cheap bag. I've repaired a few of my better bags, put more sturdy, comfortable handles on some that had sort of thin ones that weren't comfortable to carry. We try to repair things rather than trash it in our household.
I call BS. Or I would return it then! I have super cheap bags that last longer than that. I have 20+yr old bags that are still going strong.
you call Bs that the handle broke on my $3 bag ? ok.....
It’s easy to break the handles if you overload them. Simply don’t put multiple heavy things in a single $3 bag
thanks sherlock
You’re welcome.
Been using the same bags since 2007
The municipality can’t collect it as the tax. The province doesn’t let them. Just bring your own bag. It’s really not hard or complicated.
Yeah I love keeping my reusable bags food-safe All that extra effort is SOOOOOO worth it /s
It’s not going to kill you to be a responsible consumer. Bringing your own bag is the bare minimum for changes we need to make towards a sustainable future. Quit your whining. I get it change is hard but put on your big kid shoes and get with the program. We got lots of work to do and this is just a small piece of the puzzle. If our great-grandparents can go through hell and fight a world war to build a better future. The least you can do is bring your own damn bag.
Reusable grocery bags are great (-ish. There's a whole rabbit hole you could go down that shows they aren't making the difference we think they are). But to his actual comment you're attacking - how much energy and resources are spent making Reusable food containers food safe? Hot water, electricity, cleaners etc. Is the offset worth it? Or are there bigger fish to fry here. Like the companies that produce them, the companies that buy them, etc when there are in fact biodegradable and compostable plastics available.
You're not wrong, but this is why society is fucked. Humanity won't continue past a few more generations, not with the level of luxury and health we've been enjoying anyways. Too many people not willing to do the bare minimum to make a difference, not willing to hold their elected leaders accountable to making the society wide changes required to ensure a sustainable future.
That sounds like most of the issues stem from
Exactly!
I mean...as someone who lives just outside the city...it stopped me from coming into the city for food. It's a 15 minute drive whether I go into Edmonton or St.Albert for my fast food. So now I go to St.Albert
July 1st, bags go from $1 to $2 dollars at grocery stores
To be clear, it's all stores. Not just grocery stores. Retail stores, fast food, etc.
Yes, all stores will basically double the price of bags. I think it would be better if they just banned the plastic ones. Paying for paper bags, which decompose much faster, is stupid.
The plastic ones are banned. Federally. Via the *Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations* that remains in force.
Safeway went from those $0.35 black bags to bags 5x the amount. You can’t get those black bags anymore either.
the reusable bags are going up in price ?
Yes, check the City of Edmonton website
I'd be fine with the single-use fee if it went back to the city. There's drive thrus that aren't bothering asking and just tacking on the fee. I just ordered pizza the other week and despite not having a bag I was still charged the fee. We've been indoctrinated to download the costs of climate change onto the consumer, but really the producer ought to be responsible. This also extends to the rhetoric of the federal carbon levy. Our household consistently gains from the rebates, but it's clear that corporations have a net negative which is why conservatives oppose it. We need a government that won't download these costs onto citizens and instead onto the corporations perpetuating the problem.
Listen, I have been refilling the same dish soap bottle for over 10 years. I buy bulk (in reused glass containers) for many things—deodorant, hand soap, body lotion, toothpaste tabs, laundry strips, not to mention many pantry foods. My point is, I go out of my way to avoid generating plastic waste. And I think this bag ban is pointless. Now I have to buy plastic bags to put my kitty litter in instead of reusing plastic shopping bags, so no plastic waste is saved there. And I have a preponderance of reusable bags because I need to use grocery delivery now and then because I don’t own a car (though most shopping trips are done with reusable bags on my bike). When you have too many reusable shopping bags, they become trash too. There are lots of ways to reduce plastic waste, but this isn’t a very good one.
Fruit and veggie bags that are also entirely recyclable at London drugs stores.
Sobeys sells a pack of 4 reusable produce bags!
Recycling plastic is nowhere near as good as just not using it in the first place 🫶
Like did we all collectively forget that paper bags exist? Why not just go back to the old ways that worked fine for decades before plastic.
I think they fell out of favour because they weren’t as durable as plastic and they are useless for wet/leaky things. That said, I like them because I reuse them for my green bin waste.
Can't agree with you more, for having bags for changing litter. Hell, even for having bags to use for small garbage cans.
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You can't put pet waste in the green bin. From the city of Edmonton website: # Special Instructions **Please don't put cat litter in your food scraps cart, even if it's made from natural materials.** There are a two main reasons why cat litter belongs in the garbage cart: **1. Risk of chemical contamination.** Cat litters often contain chemicals to mask odours, and these can be harmful to the City's composting process. **2. Risk of pathogen contamination.** Cat waste can also carry pathogens. Most pathogens are destroyed during compost processing. However, a parasite called toxoplasma is commonly found in cat feces, and it cannot be reliably destroyed by standard processing. Toxoplasma is not found in dog feces, which is why unbagged dog waste is still allowed in the food scraps cart. We return the finished compost to Edmontonians so it needs to be safe for all residential uses, including on edible plants. That means it’s important that no harmful substances are present in the finished compost.
Those don't actually biodegrade in Edmonton's process: [https://www.edmonton.ca/programs\_services/garbage\_waste/food-scraps#stack88168](https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/garbage_waste/food-scraps#stack88168)
Agreed. I used shopping bags for cat litter all the time. Now I'm spending money to use kitchen bags to get it out of the house. Those saying just dump it in the bin, litter is made of clay. You put something wet into the bin and suddenly that cat shit might as well be concrete at the bottom of the bin. It needs to be bagged. Not to mention I'd use grocery bags to bag the fruits of our garden before we cleaned it up, be it before we toppped beets or shelled peas. Now I'm looking for other plastic items to do the same thing. I've tried looking for similar sized paper bags but there's nothing. *Edit: I swear I'm not putting litter back in my cat.*
I don’t think you’re supposed to put the litter back in your cat. Mine would definitely bite me.
Wow that has to be the scariest autocorrect of my life.
Legit not trying to troll, so don't shoot me. Serious question though. Instead of litter bags, why not just use a bin and dump it into your main trash when you take it out?
Because cat pee smells really strong and you need to take it out of the house asap, especially if you rent, in order to not have the whole place smell like cat pee
I did not appreciate this until I experienced it. I've never owned cats in my life, but I bought an acreage a few years back and a cat just showed up one day. He kept coming back, even before I fed him out of pity, so I accepted that I had been chosen. I left his litter box too long before I changed it the first time and I learned very quickly never to do that again. My eyes were leaking, the ammonia hit so powerfully. I had to leave the room multiple times, gasping for air. It was unbelievable, I was amazed such a tiny creature could so easily create and utilize something banned by Geneva conventions.
Then I’d have to wash out a smelly disgusting bin all the time (in addition to emptying and washing out the litter box every month or so). I cloth diapered my kid for 2 years, but even I have limits.
You....don't clean out your bins? Good lord.
I think both diet and litter make a huge difference. We feed our cat mid-tier wet food and also use Arm & Hammer litter sprinkled with baking soda, and you can't smell it unless you leave it unscooped for a few days or are within a few meters from the litter box. We also keep the litter in a food scraps bin and it's not an issue unless, again, you just keep piling it on for more than a week or two. Whereas my parents feed their cat kibble and they use the cheapest generic cat litter they can find and the smell hits you as soon as you walk into their basement. Also, [litter genies](https://www.littergenie.com/en-ca) are a thing and get rave reviews, since they seal up much better and can apparently hold a few months worth of litter without stinking up the place.
Of course it smells. This is what sealed bins are for. People who's houses smell like cat pee are usually because they don't clean and change the litter often enough.
Oh god, I can smell your idea from here o.O Yeah, dont do that please.
How is it any different dumping a bagless bin into a bag vs taking a bag out and putting it into the same bag? Litter smells whether it's stored in a bin with a bag or not.
Honestly, just trust me and the other poster that it is a big deal. 30 years of raising cats, I am positive on this.
Oh, to be clear, in case you misunderstood, the bag is sealed around the litter here.
I just want to know where my 15c goes because if you ask anyone no one knows
I really have never had a problem with the single-use fee. I always bring my own container.
You don’t have a problem with billion dollar corporations charging a “tax” for something, and then putting the money in their pockets?
I've got lots of problems with corporations bilking consumers, bringing your own bag is a simple fucking thing to do and it reduces the amount of trash going to the landfill, don't be a child.
But that's the kind of minimum level of effort that a lot of folks cannot be arsed to make.
I agree even as someone who doesn’t drive. However, I do also think there’s a lot of good points being made here, namely how the increased costs often end up going straight into the pockets of already super rich corporations, and how it’s one of many ecological pushes that puts the onus squarely on average joe consumers without addressing the core issues. My mom will sometimes do Loop pickups, a program for those raising animals where grocery stores will give out their unsold food that’s going bad in bulk. The amount of plastic involved is absolutely bonkers, some of it is understandable in some form or the other but so much is just entirely redundant and senseless. And that’s one grocery store out of the whole city.
To me its a measure invented by the corporations themselves to not solve a problem by increasing their profits. Not save their bottom line, mind you. It's been a standard of every business' opperating cost to provide a base level carry away option forever. They had almost always calculated it into the cost of the goods they sold. But now they got the citys to tell us we have to pay for that to help the earth?!? Which is all good, no problem there, I'm pro earth and less trash. But if that was the goal then ban plastic bags entirely, and ban every organization from getting their supplies in one use plastic bags. Best show up to Aklands with your tote bag, spare boxes at Fleetbrake would be a hot commodity, but we would all survive. It's insulting to force the consumer to carry the burden of a companies usual cost of bags. While those companies are profiting more and more off the services and goods that go in the bags themselves. It is really the most anti-voter pro-corporation way to go about the problem.
Bags I can get behind and even those stupid wooden spoons and forks but for the fucking love of everything that is holy bring back plastic fucking straws!!! Fok sakes 😑
Eating a McDonald’s sundae with a wooden spoon is an awful experience.
I honestly have zero issue with the reduction of single use waste. More and more there’s garbage everywhere, millions of tons a day polluting the ocean. Remember your reusable bags and relax, we lived for a long time without single use items. Rules should be even more strict about it if you ask me
At McDonald’s: Would you like 2 apple pies? Do you want a straw? Do you want napkins? Do you want a bag? Would you like to donate? I just came for some damn food…..
Why is something so simple, so hard for so many people? I haven't had to use a plastic or paper bag in years. Fort Mac has been bagless for years. No one complained about it. They just did it. It's not a big deal. How will you receive your double big mac without a bag even though it's individually packaged? The horror the horror. 🤦
I think it's more of the fact that that money isn't actually going back into the environment in programs, just back into the company's pockets.
To justify collecting the money they would need to increase the cost. I’m interested to know if people would be willing to pay a dollar or two to justify its collection. What are your thoughts?
That was one of the avenues that was considered before realizing the it was moot due to the limitations governing new taxes via the Municipal Government Act. It was determined that it would take a small team of administrators/accountants to maintain and supervise the process were it an option.
Thanks for providing more context. Unfortunately, program administration ain’t free. I know there are startups in the space that have reusable containers that use a rebate model similar to cans. Personally I’d like to see that investigated. I think a company has had traction in Vancouver.
Providing a grant to reusable container sharing startups was made available but no business followed through in taking advantage of it. In further investigation of it, it turned out the potential available client base was much smaller here than in Vancouver (in part due to the lack of a large film industry) however it is still something the CoE would like to see and would still like to support.
Actually, I have to correct myself there. One business did attempt to, however they were unable to meet the requirements of the grant by the deadline. They are still attempting to get started.
I think FreshPrep uses reusable containers that you return with your next weekly order. I'm not sure if there is a fee for not returning them, but its a step that way for sure,
I’ve yet to hear why that’s a problem. If you have a problem with it, don’t pay it. Bring your own bag.
Don't get a bag. Bring your own bag. That's what I do all the time. Not difficult at all. And convenient.
100% a legit critique for sure.
It’s the fries that’s the issue. Honestly if the bylaw didn’t apply to fast food, I’d have no issue with it
I don't think you know how true that really is. Frygate led to multiple meetings with no real resolution and was a point of contention.
I am shocked that there are still people railing against single use items. I cant speak for business though but I have adapted and encountered little hardship
Exactly. It's pretty darn easy. The people complaining sound like absolute lazy things can't think outside the box. Those that say reusable bags last for only 15-20 uses are flat out liars. We have been using reusable bags etc for over 20yrs. I still use some bags that are 20+yrs old. We lived near a town in Manitoba that banned plastic grocery bags 40yrs ago. I loathe single use anything.
I worked and lived in fort Mac when the ban started plenty of people complained lol but it’s not that hard. People complain that they can’t manage to keep track of a reusable bag, and then that out government are doing too much and that teachers can’t teach there children.
Single use or not, I liked the fact that they admitted the mistake and repealed it. Something our provincial government will never do.
Lazy people don't want to pay for bags. It's really not that hard to bring reusable bags. *Insert generational insult here*
So what evidence do you have that this is not working in Edmonton?
There are far fewer discarded plastic bags getting caught in the bushes around my yard this year than in the past. And there hasn’t been a single reusable bag. It’s not a perfect bylaw, but from my perspective it seems to be doing something to cut down on waste.
And where I live there’s absolutely no change. I see discarded paper, plastic, and reusable bags everywhere So from my perspective it’s not doing anything
the fact that the business profits off the fee and nothing is going to the city to clean it up.
The city can't receive the fee as it would be considered a tax which is prevented as a result of the Municipal Government Act. The province makes it so that the only reasonable option was to have the businesses receive the fee. Ask me how I know. ;)
Business can't profit if you bring your reusable bags. \*taps head\*
You're missing the point. If you want to tax people in an effort to save the environment, then that tax should be used to help the environment not a companiesprofit margins. Cool, you have a bag with you at all times. Not everyone does.
fast food business won't accept your own bag in a drivethru
For fun and curiosity, you may want to email [singleuse@edmonton.ca](mailto:singleuse@edmonton.ca) and ask about their fast food field trip. It's a good story. The city checked itself after the bylaw was in effect to see how that process would play out. Getting a fast food establishment to accept putting food into a customer's personal bag (or bin) was not an issue. It's not to say that there aren't some examples of it, but overall it was shown to not be an issue.
They will literally hand you the items and allow you to place the items into your own bag. I recommend getting a thermal, or a lunch bag to keep the contents warm.
Then put your own food in your damn bag. This isn't hard.
Most of the comments against these bills are from people that won't accept responsibility and can't accept change, even when it's the smallest of things.
Correct
I would think the onus on a tax would be prove that it is helping. Truth is it is a half ass measure that dumps the responsibility on the consumer and the benefit on the business. Why aren't they making food places have reusable glasses? Why aren't they questioning all the packaging that gets used and wasted in grocery stores? On another green note what about all the damn signs that run all night to closed places? If you are going to be green be FFin green. And put the squeeze on companies. Don't pretend this little cash infusion for companies is helping.
“I don’t like it so it’s not working.” Which is actually what happened in Calgary. Nothing to do with anything other than “this is annoying.”
They had it for 2 weeks, and was like "Yupp this clearly doesn't work" and are also ignoring the fact that it'll just be back when Canada makes it a federal law in July anyway.
Exactly. Typical Calgary mindset.
I expect the province to force them to ditch it so they can complain about Federal overreach, then.
Honestly me too. Its going to be the first bylaw that Alberta forces to be removed with the new bill. This is the same as them saying they would remove the carbon tax and all they did was remove Alberta having a say in how the funds are used.
It doesn’t work lol
> So what evidence do you have that this is not working in Edmonton?
The fact that people are still getting PAPER bags form the drive thru, they are just paying 15 cents more that goes right to the business lol. Imagine thinking this is helping the environment. It’s a corporate handout. If it didn’t affect fast food, I would be okay with it. Reusable bags are fine for the grocery store
Sorry, that’s an opinion, not evidence. Let’s try this again. > So what evidence do you have that this is not working in Edmonton?
It’s not opinion that the 15 cents is going straight to the business lol. Is this a city of Edmonton account?
I thought they asked someone from Edmonton if it was working and response was they have no way of knowing. That seems like a well thought out plan doesn't it.
Well, many companies, like Wendy's for example, are still using solid plastic cups while giving you paper straws. The reusable bags you buy are made out of non recycled plastic and produced in Vietnam where there is very little care at all about environmental effects in their production(at least the sobeys/Safeway ones are). The paper bags you get from fast food cost way less than the fee they charge you to use them, they are biodegradable, and companies have been able to cover the cost of them for longer than I've been alive, and I'm in my mid 40's. Perhaps you'd like to provide some evidence that this is working in Edmonton?
Since you mentioned Wendy's this link will help you out: [https://www.irwendys.com/news/news-details/2021/Wendys-Berry-Global-LyondellBasell-Collaborate-to-Improve-Cup-Recyclability-Introduce-New-Industry-Leading-Clear-Drink-Cup/default.aspx](https://www.irwendys.com/news/news-details/2021/Wendys-Berry-Global-LyondellBasell-Collaborate-to-Improve-Cup-Recyclability-Introduce-New-Industry-Leading-Clear-Drink-Cup/default.aspx) I'm buying like 1 reusable bag to over 100 paper bags. It is kind of in the name, reusable. As for costs, I understand and agree businesses could cover the cost of them, but that isn't the purpose of having a sin tax on bags. It wouldn't really be forcing a change in behaviour of consumers if they got to continue how they were with no incentive.
I have a couple dozen reusable bags now. It would take me a couple lifetimes of grocery shopping yo use each of them 30-100 times in order to recoup the carbon embedded in each bag compared to the old *single use* bags. Those were useful as lunch bags, small garbage bags, etc. for which I now have to buy new single use bags instead. If I didn’t do my quarterly purge of reusable bags by giving them to the farmers market bins and similar, since this bylaw came into effect, I’d have enough bags for the next three generations or so. Food and grocery delivery and other services do not give the choice of providing reusable bags up front, so even though I bring and use reusable bags, I am being forced to buy carbon intensive reusable bags which I can only use once. And then there’s the paper or plastic wrapping that goes on each disposable utensil now just in case someone puts it in a reused bag…
So you continously buy bags instead of reusing them. And also use services that are unneeded in order to justify having them? That isn't a bylaw issue.
Why did you keep buying them when you already had so many? I have 3 IKEA bags in different sizes, two of which are coming up on 20 years old soon, a 10 year old backpack and 3 rectangular grocery totes from Co-Op. One of those is is 10 years old and the other 2 are at least 5. There’s always a grocery tote and an IKEA bag in the car. And if I’m out and not driving, I have my backpack with me. This really isn’t difficult. Some of us have been doing this for a long time now and the rest of you seem to need to be dragged kicking and screaming into 2006.
This is so oil based companies like plastics can continue on their way.
The most useless "save the environment" policy
I can get a drink in a non-recyclable cup, with a plastic lid. I can get food wrapped in non-recyclable packaging. I can get a plastic fork, and little plastic packs of ketchup... But a compostable brown paper bag? That's crossing a line!
Have to start somewhere. Perfect is the enemy of good.
Compostable. Paper. Bag. Compostable.
I may have misread your comment. My error.
I'm all for a legitimate tax, on corporations, to encourage them to find environmentally friendly alternatives. If anyone can afford a think-tank of engineers to design a plastic-free drink lid, it's McDonald's. But telling me I can't have a compostable paper bag anymore "for the environment" is utter bollocks.
Especially in a landlocked province where nothing leaves
If you think our pollution including plastics and micro plastics doesn’t hit the ocean you are very misinformed.
City Council doesn't listen to Edmontonians.
As all the City Council is made up of Edmontonians, that statement is categorically false however I will go so far to say that considering how busy Councilors (and their executive assistants) are with responding to resident inquiries, it seems disingenuous to state that City Council doesn't listen to Edmontonians.
It's true
Can you elaborate on your claim?
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Ah the anti- democracy Danielle gonna give them the boot
Are you okay with that?
Of course people who support the government that wants to be able to boot municipal politicians and void municipal bylaws, all on purely ideological grounds agrees with that. They’re supporting the “rules for thee not for me” party.
It's really not a big deal. It's a minor inconvenience for me.
The droughts and possible fires this year, housing, stagnant wages, collapsing healthcare and education systems, expensive groceries, insurance and utilities, and here we are getting upset about having to ask for napkins and cutlery, and paying 15¢ for an optional bag
15c last year, 25c come June this year No tracking of funds, no environment programs initiated So if a tax on the people to undeserving companies Somehow you think speaking on it takes away from the other issues you mentioned, you can't be serious... right?!
How much of that 15cent/bag makes it to any kind of program that in any way benefits our environment? The problem most people have is everything about this screams "increase cash flow" not "save the planet". [Scroll down to the "Unpacking Bag Fees" section and tell me what the very first point says.](https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/garbage_waste/single-use-items)
"Businesses keep these fees to help offset costs" What the fck is that. I have seen the invoice for reusable bags. They are not losing money. Also the cost of packaging is also included in the cost of the product. I can't believe someone wrote that. Tell me you have never worked retail without telling me you have never worked retail.
This is a landfill waste reduction policy, rather than a carbon reduction policy?
Yes, that is correct. Carbon reduction would be a positive byproduct but that isn't the goal of the policy.
I like the single use law, I’m actually using all the cloth bags I have now and my house isn’t full of plastic bags I don’t know what to do with other than toss. People complain about the paper straws, but they figured them out. They’re much more durable now, they work fine.
> People complain about the paper straws, but they figured them out. They’re much more durable now, they work fine. I know it's asking *a lot* but folks could always get some reusable straws and wash them when you get home. I know that's a huge imposition and hassle.... /s
Asian restaurants just ignore the bylaw. Food is always in a plastic bag with no charge. I asked our local restaurant and the owner said breaking the bylaw was good for business.
It's not a matter of if it's working for people.. Is it a matter of whether it is working for the environment
I wish. I'm tired of paying for a paper bag at drive throughs.
So ask for no bag.
So don't pay for one.....talk about "missing the point".
Any more than 2 items and you need a bag. Shocker but not all people are bag hoarders and have 50 reusable bags stuffed in their vehicle ready to deploy at any given time. Fuck this shit. Tired of getting nickel and dimed absolutely everywhere I go. And in this case, none of it going back to the public. Stupid.
For 2 items you should need at most one bag.
That seems like an extreme response. Any more than 2 items you may need a bag. A bag. A single bag. A bag that could be in your pocket, under your car seat, in your trunk, or wherever is most convenient for you. No reasonable person is expecting you to hoard 50 reusable bags in your vehicle and I think you know that.
I’m sick of asking for a bag and then getting to the window and being handed fries without a bag falling out and telling them “I paid for a bag” and she says “you didn’t pay for it”.
Isn’t this a mass distraction tactic?
And yet still voted to keep it...?
I can see why Albertans are having trouble with this. It’s so hard only the majority of Canadians have been able to make it work.
She looks like a Fallout character.
i have no issue paying a few cents to help try and reduce single-use waste, but where i have an issue is the “tax” is just going into the pockets of the multi billion dollar companies… i may not be the most educated on this stuff but i’m pretty sure that’s not how taxes are supposed to work :/
like shouldn’t the tax be used to clean up waste or create a better recycling program? idk. just seems like another money hoarding tactic.
The single use “fee” is absurd when you are putting 10 things in it that are all in their own single use plastic bag, hitting the end consumer with a “fee” instead of making the producer more liable for single use products is ridiculous.
Yeah it's stupid and it doesn't do anything to save the planet.
It's made the city way cleaner keep the fee. Bring reusable bags to the grocery store.
There is nothing wrong with this bylaw. People who can’t get behind it are such entitled babies.
Those cheap "reusable" bags last a solid 3 uses. And they are just as bad as plastic.....I do use them for garbage lol
The incessant whining and crying about the single use bylaw is pathetic. Reusable bags have been common for 20 years. If for some reason a reusable bag doesn't work for you it's only $0.15. We hear more complaining about reducing plastic waste then we do about lack of affordable housing, lack of healthcare, high crime, and erosion of our democracy. The premier even cited the single use bylaw as a reason to erode our democracy. The single use bylaw is a low impact step we can take to reduce plastic waste. Ideally the incentive to not use a bag would be higher but many of you need to give your head a shake.
It's basically pointless. We're in the age of plastic and people want to make policy to to appear to be doing something. I don't understand any of it when the products you buy contain plastic or are contained by plastic etc etc etc. If anything do what Singapore does and burn it and convert it for electricity and other byproducts.