The City of Vancouver is looking to reduce the number of coffee cups, plastic bags, and take-out containers cluttering up the city’s garbage dumps.
According to a new report from the city, over 2.6 million coffee cups are thrown in the trash each week in Vancouver.
And this summer, another 34 million coffee cups will be disposed to landfill, plus unknown amounts that will end up as litter in our parks, streets, and green spaces. According to the city, disposable cups account for 22% of all large litter found on Vancouver streets.
Since February 2016, city staff has researched ways to reduce single-use waste like coffee cups in order to meet the city’s 2040 Zero-Waste goal.
Next week strategies to reduce the waste will be presented to council and Councillor Andrea Reimer says bans could eventually be put forward.
“We believe that a ban is legally possible, and we have asked staff to look very closely at that,” Reimer told the CBC.
Image: Ali Joyce
Last modified: July 4, 2017
That’s a great photo.
Here’s an idea: charge $.25 or $.50 for each disposable cup, and funnel the proceeds into waste management initiatives. Not everybody carries around a reusable cup, and not everybody that carries one has it with them at all times, but a substantial fee will encourage it while leaving some wriggle room.