Council votes unanimously to ditch fee for anyone who buys a takeout drink
On Wednesday, council voted to repeal the year-old bylaw, which was implemented last January in an effort to reduce the number of single-use cups going to the landfill.Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion delivered straight to your inbox at 7 a.m., Monday to Friday.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
Critics say the program wasn’t successful in discouraging the use of single-use cups and unfairly penalized vulnerable people in the community, while supporters believe scrapping the fee is taking a step back in waste reduction strategies.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
“We are not just participants in this, we are your experts and we have the facts,” said Cody Irwin of ShareWares. Ending the cup fee would return the cost to restaurants, said Irwin, while removing any incentive to work on alternatives. He argued more time is needed to allow the fee to have its desired effect of reducing waste.But representatives of front-line retailers such as Restaurants Canada and the Retail Council of Canada asked to end the fee, citing customer pushback and the burden on employees and small business operators.
Coun. Lenny Zhou agreed. He said he spent one of the busiest hours of service at a coffee shop in the city and tallied how many of the customers were served in reusable cups.This is Bligh’s second attempt to toss the fee. Last spring, the previous council voted against her motion. But this time, Bligh’s party, ABC Vancouver, has a majority.The repeal of the bylaw is expected to take effect no later than June.
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