Each Qualicum Beach resident uses approximately 200 bags yearly, equating to 1.788 million plastic bags from town residents alone. To help address this, the Town’s Single-Use Item Regulation Bylaw was introduced to restrict the use of single-use plastic straws and checkout bags. This single-use plastic ban minimizes the volume of plastic waste entering our landfill, our waste collection systems and littering our community.
As of July 1, 2019, businesses in the Town of Qualicum Beach can no longer provide customers with single-use plastic checkout bags, or single-use plastic straws.
Items not permitted
- Plastic Bags: The bylaw defines “Plastic Bag” as any bag made with any amount of plastic, including biodegradable plastic, but does not include a Reusable Bag.
- Plastic Straws: The bylaw defines “Plastic Straw” as a straw made primarily of plastic, including biodegradable plastic, but is not a Reusable Straw or a Compostable Straw.