The Province is working towards introducing new changes to legislation to further address plastic pollution.
New legislation will mean BC can move more quickly to remove plastic debris through phased-in province-wide product bans.
The first phase of new regulations is expected in early 2023.
“We have heard the call for more direct action to reduce plastic debris and its impact on the environment and wildlife,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
“These changes mean we will expedite the actions under the CleanBC Plastic Action Plan to create a cleaner, stronger future for everyone.”
The current act allows for packaging materials, such as plastic checkout bags and single-use polystyrene foam takeout containers, to be regulated or banned.
New changes will regulate products like plastic straws, utensils and stir sticks.
In July 2021, BC allowed local governments to ban single-use plastics without requiring ministerial approval.
More than 20 municipalities are developing bylaws banning single-use plastics, and the municipalities of Esquimalt, Nanaimo, Richmond, Rossland, Saanich, Surrey, Tofino, Ucluelet and Victoria have approved bylaws in place.
It is estimated that in 2019, more than 340,000 tonnes of plastic items and packaging were disposed of in BC, which equates to more than 65 kilograms of plastic waste sent to the landfill per person in one year.
