City moves to ban single-use plastics
Montreal is moving toward a ban on single-use plastics of all kinds: straws, cups, packaging trays used in grocery stores.
I work with a young man who gets a take-out lunch every day. He could eat off a real plate with real cutlery where he gets the food, but he prefers to bring it back to the office, eat, and then throw away the foam box and plastic utensils. Five times a week, 50 weeks a year. Somebody must make a permanent or at least semi-permanent lunch carrier that could replace something like that?
Of course, users would have to wash their box and their cutlery to keep it hygienic, and that might be one thing too many for some.
Another thing the city is doing, in response to a petition, is consider the future of the Publi‑Sac.
I admit to mixed feelings about this. I’ve had a “pas de circulaires” sticker on my own mailbox for years, but the Sac sometimes does contain a local weekly paper and it may actually reach the few people who don’t use the internet. Also, among other things I’m a graphic designer working in print, and the loss of print ads, circulars and newspapers is not good for the business generally, although it’s a long time since I’ve done newspaper ads. Still, I can see its time has come.
John B 22:01 on 2019-04-24 Permalink
For the publi-sac, use the weekly as the container for the flyers, & actually put it in the mailbox. Plastic solved.
I wouldn’t mind getting the weekly, but I don’t want the rest, especially the bag, so we too have a “pas de circulaires” sticker.
For straws & stuff, I hope there’s some sort of exception for people who need things like that for accessibility.
walkerp 23:46 on 2019-04-24 Permalink
It’s just insane how plastic has invaded everything. It’s a gigantic market for oil and then another gigantic market for plastic manufacturers and distributers. At school, the kids get sliced apples in a plastic bag with a little plastic container of honey. The whole point about apples is that you don’t need to wrap them in anything!
I have a hard time taking the accessibility argument seriously. It feels like that has to be coming from the industry. What is the real issue for somebody with physical disabilities if single use plastic gets outlawed?
DeWolf 07:59 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
A lot of restaurants, bars and cafés have voluntarily done away with single-use plastic straws, which tells me the accessibility argument is bunk, as is any cost argument. You can get a metal, glass or reusable plastic straw for not very much money and it will replace a lifetime of disposable straws. It’s cheaper in the long run, both for the user and for the environment.
John B 08:51 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
On accessibility: Some people with physical disabilities have a hard time drinking from a glass without a straw. I don’t have accessibility reasons that we should allow single-use water bottles or publi-sacs, though.
About Kate’s co-worker: There’s no reason he should have to wash a theoretical reusable container. If he sat in the restaurant and ate, they would wash his dishes. If they provided a reusable lunch container, and charged hefty refundable deposit, he might use that, and when he buys lunch today he could return yesterday’s container off a the restaurant to be washed & re-used.
JaneyB 08:51 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
Until about the 80s, straws were paper. There’s no access crisis here. The plastic packaging thing is really newer than young people think. If we went back to the rates of consumption and the rates of plastic usage we had in 1970, there would be no carbon problem. The 70s were plenty modern and convenient, they just weren’t the frenzy of plastic that we have now (coffee pods, bite-sized kitkats, thimbles of yogurt, strings of cheese etc). Fully 50% of the carbon burden we earthlings now have was produced in the last 30 years alone. Just about none of itwas necessary.
Kevin 09:15 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
I still find it laughable that people have signed a petition online because they were too lazy to put a sticker on their mailbox. :/
jeather 10:06 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
Just because plastic straws are new doesn’t mean they don’t solve things for some (but not all) people. They can be limited without needing to ban them for the people who DO need them.
I was told that the publi-sac sticker meant that you don’t get notices from the city, which I get regularly for construction/closures/etc and find very helpful. Am I wrong? I sometimes skim the publi-sac but mostly I just toss it in the recycling.
Ephraim 10:17 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
I’m an adult, I can drink without a straw…. all these people using straws to drink remind me of toddlers with sippy cups. Both A&W and Harvey’s have stopped with the plastic straws… life continues. Always surprises me that Costco, which is “on trend” hasn’t done something about their own packaging… like individual packed items for their restaurant.
Kate – An Indian tiffin. (There have been a few companies that tried lunch delivery services in tiffin containers) Japanese use a bento box, but it’s generally for cold food. There are also the Chinese take-out containers, which the metal is recyclable, the paper as long as it’s shiny (not wax) is recyclable. In fact, shiny paper boxes are also recyclable. Genpak, Denico and Bio-Sposables all make biodegradable containers…. but they are more expensive and people are cost conscious… of course until forced by government to do the right thing. Some containers look like plastic, especially PLA… but completely bio degradable.
Mr.Chinaski 10:43 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
Well, let’s not talk much about Japan here, because they are probably the worst first-world country in terms of waste and recycling. Almost no recycling, no composting, plastic everywhere…
Blork 10:52 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
This will require a lot of changes all around, but none are insurmountable. For example, people who need straws in order to drink can just get in the habit of bringing their own. Re-usable metal straws are all the rage these days and can be found in stores all over the place (they come with tiny little cleaning brushes!). Or just buy a box of paper or plastic ones and keep a few in your car/handbag etc.
That said, an outright ban might be highly disruptive and not in a good way. While it’s easy enough for me to bring a container to work with me and to carry it with me to whatever takeaway place I might buy my lunch, that only works for people who regularly do this. What about people who hardly ever get a takeaway lunch but one day they need to? Or tourists or other visitors?
And what about pizza delivery? I can’t imagine how they will get around not using pizza boxes.
My inclination would not be an outright ban, but instead to impose a fee (not small) for using disposables. That way it’s still available for people who don’t have re-usables, but it ENCOURAGES people to use re-usables — especially people like the guy who Kate mentioned who gets a takeaway lunch every day.
Blork 10:57 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
Mall food courts are huge creators of throw-away packaging BTW, but this is where it’s easiest to fix. If people are staying in the food court to eat then there is no excuse not to use washable plates and cutlery. Sure, it requires an initial investment and some changes in how things are done, but it is totally do-able.
To see it in action, go to the food court at the Promenades St-Bruno mall. As food courts go, it’s a pretty nice one. And all dishes are washable/reusable. They’ve put in a really good system that works well. You eat there once and it really makes you think about the next time you go to the Eaton Center or some other food court that uses all that plastic and foam.
Marc 11:58 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
@jeather: I have one of those no-junk stickers (like this one http://www.villeenvert.ca/wp-content/uploads/pas-de-circulaire-150×150.jpg) and still get city notices about construction (as well as Videotron’s garbage on the door handle – infuriating!)
walkerp 15:28 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
Is that really true about Les Promenades St-Bruno, Blork? I find it almost unbelievable in this day and age. Was it done for environmental reasons? Would you happen to have any links to the backstory? Thanks!
walkerp 15:31 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
Never mind, used Google myself. 🙂 It’s Caddilac-Fairview and was part of a big reno in 2014. They have the same policy at Carrefour Laval. Makes me want to go there just to support the initiative.
“Comme cela avait été fait en 2009 au Carrefour Laval (autre propriété de Cadillac Fairview), la vaisselle en plastique et en carton sera bannie de l’aire de restauration. Tous les restaurants devront utiliser de la « vraie vaisselle conçue sur mesure » et des couverts en métal. Le lavage sera assuré par le centre commercial, qui se mettra aussi au compostage. À elle seule, l’aire de restauration du Carrefour Laval (1200 places assises) avait coûté 54 millions.”
https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/economie/immobilier/201405/29/01-4771010-49-millions-pour-moderniser-les-promenades-st-bruno.php
jeather 15:51 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
When I (very rarely) get a drink at a food court, it comes in a cup that is often too wobbly to hold to drink, I need the straw because the cup is so cheap it doesn’t work to drink out of any other way. (Especially common when the drink is tap water.) It’s a real pain.And they generally won’t fill up a water bottle for you.
The food court at Carrefour Laval also uses reusable dishes, it’s really nice. It’s more pleasant to eat from and everything. Strong support..
Mark Côté 16:49 on 2019-04-25 Permalink
The ban is just about plastics, so your pizza boxes are safe (they’re compostable!). Also more places are providing paper straws (like the cafe near me). They’re probably also compostable.