British Columbians will no longer be given single-use plastic cutlery and bags

British Columbians will no longer be given single-use plastic cutlery and bags as of Wednesday.

New regulations mean that wooden forks, knives and spoons are now only available on request, along with drink lids, straws, condiments and napkins. Straws are largely prohibited, with a limited exemption for those who need them for accessibility reasons.

It's all part of the province's single-use plastics ban, some of which went into effect on Dec. 20, aligning with federal regulations that went into effect on the same day.

However, the province says it will phase in other aspects of the federal single-use plastics regulations, which forbids a range of single-use plastic items, including takeout containers.

On July 15, 2024, the province will disallow plastic takeout containers and mandate businesses to charge a fee for reusable and paper bags.

Environment Minister George Heyman says the province pushed back the deadline for those sections of the federal single-use plastics regulations after feedback from industry, but says the overall initiative to stop using single-use plastics reflects the province's commitment to the environment.

"We've had quite a bit of consultation with businesses and what they said to us was, 'We're supportive of this ban, but we don't have enough time to get the alternative materials yet,'" Heyman told CBC News.

"In some cases the alternative materials are still under development. So we decided to push it off for another six months."

The federal regulations also forbid ring carriers for drink packages, which will go into effect in B.C. on June 24, 2024. Heyman says the ban on foam containers for raw meat will be implemented on July 1, 2030.

Environment Minister George Heyman said the province had a 'clear mandate' to ban single-use plastic items. (Michael McArthur/CBC)

"The support for introducing bans and greater recycling in British Columbia was overwhelming, between 80 and 90 per cent," Heyman said of a public consultation the province launched regarding banning single-use plastics. "That's a clear mandate to our government."

According to the province, plastic waste is a "huge problem" and British Columbians throw out 65 million foam takeout containers per year.

CBC News spoke to one restaurateur who says she is in support of the regulations.

"[The customers] are all OK, and they're all understanding and they're all nice. There's no complaining," said Niaz Taagholi, owner of Le Petit Belge on Vancouver's Robson Street.

"It's good for the environment and it's good for our planet."

Niaz Taagholi, who owns a Belgian cafe in Vancouver, says her customers have been supportive of the changes. (Janella Hamilton/CBC)

Some municipalities already have bylaws in place

The B.C. government says 21 municipalities, including Vancouver, have already implemented bylaws to limit single-use plastics.

Greg Wilson, director of government relations for the Retail Council of Canada, told CBC News that most of the items set to replace single-use plastics are more expensive, meaning retailers will see their revenues impacted during the holiday season.

"The other impact is availability isn't always great," Wilson said. "Coming five days before Christmas, not every store and not every employee is going to be ready."

Heyman, however, says he is optimistic that stores and consumers will be able to change their habits.

"In the past, people would go order a drink, They would get a cup with a plastic lid and a straw stuck in it," he said. "They can still do that if they ask for it, but most people don't actually care.

"I'm confident British Columbians are behind us in this because they actually told us that's what they wanted."