Single-Use Plastics
Single-Use Plastic By-Law
The City of Sault Ste. Marie is moving forward with the implementation of a single-use plastics ban.
Single-use plastics are items designed to be disposable. They are difficult to recycle.
Single-Use Plastic Ban Program Timeline:
November 15, 2021: City Council passed a resolution requesting staff undertake what is required to put a plastics ban in place in Sault Ste. Marie.
December 25, 2021: The Government of Canada published the proposed Single-use Plastic Prohibition Regulations, for public review. It identified six (6) categories of single-use plastic items that it is moving forward to prohibit. These include: plastic checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice packaging and service ware made from “problematic plastics”, six-pack ring carriers, beverage stir sticks and straws.
June 20, 2022: The Government of Canada published final regulations to prohibit the above mentioned single-use plastics. The ban on the manufacture and import of six single-use plastics, barring a few targeted exceptions to recognize specific cases, will come into effect on December 20, 2022, with ring carriers on June 20, 2023 and flexible straws yet to be determined. To provide businesses in Canada with enough time to transition and to deplete their existing stocks, the sale of these items will be prohibited as of December 20, 2023, and June 20, 2024 respectively. The Government will also prohibit the export of plastics in the six categories by the end of 2025, making Canada the first among peer jurisdictions to do so internationally.
March 21 and April 21, 2022: The City launched a comprehensive community consultation campaign, to obtain feedback from businesses and residents in the community regarding a single-use plastics ban.
July 11, 2022: Staff provided council with an update on community consultations and requested to bring draft by-law to Council for August 2022.
August 8, 2022: Single-use plastics ban by-law approved by City Council.
November 15, 2022: Checkout Bags will be fully banned in Sault Ste. Marie.
February 8, 2023: Plastic cutlery and straw, plastic foodservice ware will be fully banned
August 8, 2023: The enforcement and fees will be applied and come to effect by August 8, 2023
Corporate Waste Reduction Efforts
Community centers and canteen facilities have taken a variety of steps to reduce their waste, including:
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Recycling of Beer Cans
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Cardboard take out option
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Cardboard plates
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Coffee Cups at the Seniors Centre are now washed to reduce waste
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Paper recycling
Changes have been made to purchasing packages to reduce single use packaging material:
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Replaced bagged milk with recyclable cardboard containers
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Replaced plastic straws and stir sticks with paper straws and wood stir sticks
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Offering bottled water and canned beverages as these containers can be recycled
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Replaced Styrofoam food containers with cardboard based containers
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Replaced single-use plastic bags with paper bags. Styrofoam plates have been replaced with ceramic plates and glassware
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All eggs are purchased in cardboard based cartons only
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Beer is no longer accepted in plastic rings
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Liquid soaps in bathroom dispensers are refilled from larger jugs to cut down on the amount of smaller packaging
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Replaced non-refillable pens with re-fillable pens and pencils
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When items are purchased for the facilities they are required to be delivered in cardboard boxes instead of plastic film packaging
In 2021, City Public Works – Waste Division in partnership with Clean North
developed the City’s plastic free pledge. Clean North developed the on-line registration form to be completed by all participants.
The GFL Memorial Gardens was one of the initial locations to take the City’s plastic Pledge in March 2021. At a site level, the Memorial Gardens is performing at a high standard that has allowed the City the status of a Gold Pledge level. In addition, CDES recently contacted GFL and Public Works to add 12 more recycle bins at the GFL to further amplify recycling efforts.