FAQs

The following items will be banned starting June 6, 2022:

• Plastic checkout bags (including compostable/biodegradable plastics)
• Foam (polystyrene) food service ware for prepared food (e.g. foam containers, bowls and cups)

Plastics that are labelled as compostable or biodegradable are not guaranteed to break down in industrial compost facilities. The plastic does not break down completely, resulting in small flecks of plastic remaining in the end compost product. They are also not designed to biodegrade if littered in the natural environment.

The City will begin with a six month transition period to inform and educate businesses and the public about the new regulations, and to provide businesses time to use up banned materials and acquire alternative products. An additional six month grace period will follow, giving businesses one full year from final bylaw adoption to enforcement. Penalties will only be laid once sufficient education and notice has been issued to the business in non-compliance.

A minimum fee of 25 cents will apply for recycled paper bags and $2.00 for reusable plastic bags. Businesses retain the revenue to offset the higher cost of these alternative products.

No. Pharmacies are not required to charge a checkout bag fee when providing customers with recycled paper bags containing prescribed pharmaceutical drugs or devices.

No. Businesses are required to charge fees for recycled paper or reusable bags. The fees are meant to encourage customers to bring their own reusable bag and reduce waste in our community. If the business absorbs the fee, there is no incentive for the customer to bring their own bag.

Yes, if the event is operating under a business licence. Event organizers can encourage customers to bring their own bags to help reduce waste.

The bylaw does not address sales tax and the City of Delta does not advise businesses on PST or GST, as sales tax is not under municipal jurisdiction. Our understanding is that sales tax does apply to bag fees, but we recommend that you check with the relevant provincial and federal government agencies directly.

For more information on PST, see page 5 of this document under "If you charge for containers and packaging materials":
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/taxes/sales-taxes/publications/pst-305-containers-packaging-materials.pdf

For more information on GST: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst-businesses/charge-collect-which-rate.html

Yes. Paper wine sleeves are considered to be checkout bags and the bag fee applies. Customers are encouraged to bring their own bag to the liquor store and to reuse paper sleeves from previous purchases. However, the bylaw does exempt small paper bags (less than 15 cm x 20 cm when flat) from the bag fee requirement.

Plastic covers for dry-cleaned clothes and plastic cases for linens are not considered to be checkout bags; these items are pre-packaged in plastic before reaching the checkout area. Bulky linens, bedding and other similar items are exempt because they are generally too large to fit into a standard reusable bag. New clothing can usually fit into standard-sized bags.

Yes! The ban only applies to new and unused plastic bags. You are welcome to reuse old bags that you may have at home, including bringing them into the store to hold your purchased items.

Yes. The BC CDC has advised that COVID-19 transmission from handling reusable items has not been documented and as such, is a low risk to the community. Businesses may go back to normal activities regarding these items as long as COVID-19 safety measures known to reduce overall risk are maintained. For more information, please visit the BCCDC website.

Many grocery stores now offer the option of providing your own reusable shopping bags to the delivery person when they arrive at your front door. The groceries are usually packed in bins for transport and then transferred to your bags upon delivery. If you don't see the "use your own bags" option when ordering your groceries online, contact your grocery store for more information.

• Think zero waste. Avoid extra reusable bags in the first place by sticking with a few good quality reusable bags that last – this means they can be washed and used 100’s of times.
• If you have extra bags, see if anyone in your neighborhood needs them through a group like “buy nothing”.
• Bags in good condition can be donated – make sure they are clean and dry. Find out where here: https://recycling.metrovancouver.org/ 
• If the bag is in extremely poor repair such that it can’t be fixed, or if it is stained with paint, it can be responsibly disposed of in your waste bin.

If you are using a plastic or metal trash bin, you could reduce your environmental impact by not using a plastic bag in your household trash cans, and then emptying the smaller cans into a single garbage bag when taking out the trash. The small cans could then be washed out after emptying, if needed. Alternatively, stores will still be able to sell trash bin liners and garbage bags.