Press Releases

Chilliwack, BC: Following community consultation and provincial approval, at the September 21 Regular Meeting of Council, City Council adopted the Single-Use Item Reduction Bylaw, which will come into effect April 1, 2022, following an education campaign. The new bylaw will help reduce waste from single-use items in the landfill and littered throughout the community.

In July 2021, the provincial government amended the Community Charter to allow local governments to enact regulations related to plastic single-use items, and in August 2021 informed the City that the Single-Use Item Reduction Bylaw could be adopted if amended to match provincial legislation.

The Single-Use Item Reduction Bylaw bans plastic shopping bags, foam cups and take-out containers, plastic straws except those for accessibility needs, and plastic disposable utensils. The bylaw also implements a minimum fee for some single-use items made from other materials, while requiring other single-use items to be available by request only.

“Reducing single-use items in our community will help reduce litter, harm to the environment, and waste sent to the landfill,” said Mayor Popove. “We all have a part to play in waste reduction, and this new bylaw is a great tool for us to move forward together in a greener way.”

Exemptions include fees on shopping bags used in the course of providing charitable food services and foam containers in hospitals and community care facilities. Businesses must continue to provide accessible beverage straws to those with accessibility needs.

To learn more about single-use item reduction in Chilliwack, visit chilliwack.com/singleuse. The current implementation date of April 1, 2022 could be subject to change based on the COVID-19 pandemic and the status of economic recovery.