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The Calgary City Council has repealed the single-use bylaw, meaning businesses will no longer have to charge a fee for single-use or reusable bags. The bylaw was repealed on Tuesday after a public hearing.
The bylaw was first enacted in January 2023, to limit the number of single-use items that end up in city landfills. The bylaw required businesses not to provide foodware, straws and other single-use items unless requested for. Companies were also required to charge 15 cents for a single-use bag and $1 for a reusable bag. The prices were to increase to 25 cents and $2, respectively, starting in 2025.
However, after political and public pressure two weeks after, the council voted in favor of starting to repeal the process. After the Tuesday hearing, the council voted 12-3 in favor of repealing the bylaw with immediate effect.
The council will reportedly work on new bylaws for single-use in an effort to minimize the number of waste going into landfills. The city said around 15 million single use items go to the landfill every week.
“I think behavior change is an important component here. But how you drive that behavior change is even more important. So it was clear that using the approach of a charge, especially at food service locations, was not the way that Calgarians were going to engage with us on this”, said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek.
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