BC government seeking feedback on banning and reducing plastics

The provincial government is asking people for feedback on how to reduce the amount of plastic waste in British Columbia.

“The message from British Columbians is loud and clear — we need to take action to reduce plastic waste,” says George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy in a news release.

The BC government has proposed four strategies to reduce plastic pollution:

• Banning single-use packaging: The government would determine which kinds of plastic to phase out, with room for necessary exemptions such as packaging that is related to health and safety.
• Dramatically reducing single-use plastics in landfills and waterways: This would require producers to take more responsibility for the plastic products they use, ensuring that single-use items get recycled.
• Expanding plastic bottle and beverage container returns: This would see BC’s deposit-refund system cover a wider range of beverage containers, including milk and milk substitutes. These would be eligible for a 10-cent refundable deposit.
• Reducing plastic waste overall: This would see the provincial government support more effective ways to prevent plastic waste and ensure that recycled plastic is reused effectively.

The government is also reviewing a proposes system that would give electronic refunds for empty bottle returns.

This system, if turned into a reality, would eliminate the need to sort bottles and issue refunds electronically to either the user or to community organizations.

People are invited to participate in a survey and share their opinions online.

Feedback will be accepted until September 18, 2019.