Guelph, Ont., July 16, 2024 – City Council ratified the recommendations for Phase 2 of the City of Guelph’s Single-Use Items Reduction Strategy as part of the Solid Waste Management Master Plan (SWMMP). With the amendment coming into effect March 1, 2025.
In February 2024, food service businesses were surveyed about their waste reduction practices and support for waste reduction of single-use items, with supporting input from the community. Based on the feedback and survey results from food service businesses, City staff proposed three items to Council.
The amendments to Phase 2 of the Single-Use Items Reduction Strategy include:
- Businesses must accept a customer’s clean reusable drink cup for beverage orders made in-store,
- Businesses must only offer single-use accessory food ware items by request and/or at self-serve stations (e.g., beverage cup sleeves and trays, condiments, utensils and stir sticks; straws are exempt), and
- Paper shopping bags must contain 40 per cent post-consumer recycled content.
Council has approved the phase 2 recommendations and the Single-Use Items By-law (2024) – 20938, with an amendment to include the use of re-usable containers within the bylaw with the same effective date as the Single-Use Items Phase 2 timeline of March 1, 2025.
Next steps
City staff will continue to engage with and educate residents and businesses to support understanding and compliance with the Council-approved changes. Additional measures will be explored in the future, with the aim to encourage sustainable practices among residents and businesses. These recommendations will help Guelph in being a leader in climate action by reducing waste generated in the community and taking ambitious steps to care for the environment.
Heather Connell, Technical Services Manager
Solid Waste Resources, Environmental Services
City of Guelph
519-822-1260 extension 2082
[email protected]