Single-use items reduction strategy and ban

Background information

In 2019, Guelph City Council directed staff to develop a strategy to eliminate or reduce single-use plastics (SUPs) as part of the Solid Waste Management Master Plan (SWMMP) process.

Based on Council’s direction and based on the feedback we received during extensive community engagement, Council approved the single-use items (SUI) reduction strategy on April 25, 2022.

Phase 1: Single-use items ban

In Phase 1, the most problematic materials were banned on January 1, 2023, including:

• plastic shopping bags (certified and non-certified compostable plastic shopping bags, and biodegradable shopping bags)
• polystyrene foam cups and takeout containers

Note: All other single-use items and single-use plastics were not included in the City’s single-use items reduction strategy at this time.

Plastic shopping bags

Effective January 1, 2023, businesses in Guelph cannot provide plastic shopping bags for the purpose of transporting items sold or otherwise provided to customers. Businesses may provide reusable shopping bags or paper shopping bags with two handles to a customer, and they may charge a fee. Customers are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags when shopping. This applies to all businesses and licensees, charities, non-profits and City facilities in Guelph, including food delivery services and takeout from food premises and food vehicles.

What is banned

All types of plastic bags, including:

• Plastic bags made wholly or partly from fossil fuels
• Plastics bags labelled or described as compostable, (bio)degradable or oxo-degradable
• Plastic bags labelled or described as made from plants or other biological materials such as corn, potatoes, or sugar cane

Exemptions

The plastic shopping bag ban does not apply to:

• Bags that contain loose grocery items such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, or candy (also known as produce bags)
• Bags that contain loose small hardware items such as nails and bolts
• Bags that protect bakery goods that are not pre-packaged
• Bags used to package meat, poultry or fish, whether pre-packaged or not
• Bags that wrap flowers or potted plants
• Bags that transport live fish
• Bags that protect newspapers or other printed material intended to be left at the customer’s residence or place of business
• Bags that protect clothes after professional laundering or dry cleaning
• Certified compostable bags sold in multiples, intended to hold organic waste for composting
• Plastic bags sold in multiples for use at the customer’s home or business, including but not limited to garbage bags, bin liners and pet waste bags.

Note: Certified compostable plastic bags sold in multiples, marked with the BNQ and/or BPI symbol, intended for holding organic waste for composting, are exempt from the ban. These bags are not meant for transporting items sold or provided to customers. Guelph’s Organic Waste Processing Facility (OWPF) can process these certified compostable plastic bags. However, our facility is not equipped or permitted to handle other certified compostable plastic products, such as food containers or cutlery.

The list above is not complete. Other bags that do not meet the bylaw definition of plastic shopping bag are not subject to the ban at this time. Please contact [email protected] if you require clarification.

Suggested alternatives

• Reusable shopping bags with two handles
• Paper shopping bags with two reinforced handles

Reusable bags safety practices

Follow reusable bag safety practices recommended by the Government of Canada.

Polystyrene foam

Effective January 1, 2023, businesses in Guelph are banned from providing prepared food in polystyrene foam containers and cups to customers including plates, bowls, cups, trays, cartons and hinged or lidded containers. The ban applies to prepared food consumed at the business, served as takeout or delivery, and packaged as leftovers. It applies to all businesses and licensees, charities, non-profits and City facilities.

Phase 2: Effective March 1, 2025

As part of Phase 2, Council instructed staff to gather community feedback on implementing fees for disposable cups and reusable bags. This was done through an engagement survey that opened on November 7, 2022, exploring the possibility of adding fees to certain single-use items to encourage behavioral change. The items considered included disposable beverage cups and reusable shopping bags.

We appreciated the community providing their feedback and heard that some community members supported paying fees. However, the City will not be mandating any fees on disposable beverage cups and reusable bags due to the current economic climate, and recent actions by other municipalities, including the cities of Vancouver and Toronto. Businesses are welcome to continue or consider this voluntary practice based on their business interests.

Phase 2 of the SUI Reduction Strategy emphasizes encouraging sustainable behavior among residents and implementing procedural changes in businesses to decrease single-use item waste.

An additional survey was released in February 2024, asking food-service businesses about their practices and support of single-use items waste reduction. Drawing from the survey results, industry trends, and municipal best practices, City staff recommended the following updates to Phase 2 of the SUI Reduction Strategy on June 5, 2024. These updates took effect on March 1, 2025:

1. Businesses must accept a customer’s clean reusable drink cup for beverage orders made in-store. (Exemptions apply to a charitable or non-profit organization, a hospital or community care facility, alcoholic beverages, and special events.)
2. Businesses must only offer single-use accessory food ware items (e.g. utensils, stir sticks, condiments, and beverage trays) by request and/or at self-serve stations.
3. Paper shopping bags must contain 40% post-consumer recycled content.

Reusable drink cups

Starting March 1, 2025, businesses in Guelph are required to accept customers’ reusable drink cups for in-store beverage orders, whether the drinks are consumed on-site or taken away. This requirement does not apply to beverages served through drive-through windows or those purchased for delivery. A “reusable drink cup” means a cup that is made from durable materials that is able to withstand repeated washing, sanitizing, rinsing, and use.

Business requirements

Businesses must display a notice on their premises indicating that they accept customers’ clean reusable drink cups.

Businesses shall not accept a reusable drink cup that is not:

• of sound construction
• in good repair
• of a shape and of material that permits it to be readily cleaned and sanitized
• visibly clean
• otherwise suitable to be used as a reusable drink cup

Exemptions

Exemption from this bylaw applies to the following:

• A charitable or non-profit organization
• A hospital and community care facility
• Alcoholic beverages
• Special events

Single-use accessory food ware item

Businesses must only provide accessory food ware items to customers upon request or through self-serve stations. “Accessory food ware item” means a single-use item including but not limited to forks, knives, spoons, chopsticks, utensils, stir sticks, splash sticks, cocktail sticks, toothpicks, drink cup trays, non-edible garnish, and condiment cups and packets.

Business requirements

Businesses must display a notice on their premises indicating that accessory food ware items will not be automatically provided and must be requested.

Exemptions

Exemptions from this bylaw applies to the following:

• charitable or non-profit organization
• a hospital and community care facility

Paper shopping bags

Businesses providing paper shopping bags to customers must ensure the bags contain at least 40% recycled content, clearly indicated in print on the bag. A “paper shopping bag” means a shopping bag made out of paper, equal or greater than 20 cm x 20 cm when laid flat.

Reusable containers

Following the City Council’s recommendation, City staff were tasked with conducting further engagement and research into the inclusion of reusable containers in the Single Use Items Bylaw. In Fall and Winter 2024, staff conducted outreach and education to food-service businesses on these approved Phase 2 recommendations. During this outreach and education, staff also surveyed food-service businesses on what they would need to accept a customer’s clean, re-usable food container.

Findings from the survey and recommendations related to reusable containers were presented at City Council in early March 2025. Council approved that starting September 1, 2025, businesses in Guelph are required to accept customers’ reusable containers for food orders, whether the food is consumed on-site or taken away or provide or provide a reusable container in lieu of accepting a customer’s reusable container. This requirement does not apply to food served through drive-through windows or those purchased for delivery. A “reusable food container” means a container that is made from durable materials that is able to withstand repeated washing, sanitizing, rinsing, and use.

Business requirements

Businesses must display a notice on their premises indicating that they accept customers’ clean reusable food containers.
Businesses shall not accept a reusable food container that is not:

• of sound construction
• in good repair
• of a shape and of material that permits it to be readily cleaned and sanitized
• visibly clean
• otherwise suitable to be used as a reusable food container

Exemptions

Exemption from this bylaw applies to the following:

• A charitable or non-profit organization
• A hospital and community care facility
• Special events
• Self-service restaurants such as buffets, salad bars, and all-you-can-eat restaurants
• A food-service business that has written their own reusable-container policy may outline specific and limited condition under which this by-law will not be complied with.

Why the City is banning single-use items

Single-use items (SUIs) are intended for one-time use before being discarded. These items are often challenging to recycle or compost, frequently becoming litter that pollutes our environment and harms wildlife and their habitats. In the 2021 Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, styrofoam (polystyrene foam) pieces ranked as the third most collected litter, while plastic bags were the eighth. The City of Guelph recently conducted a residential waste audit. The audit found that residents disposed:

• over 1,200 kg of single-use plastics (such as straws and single-use cutlery) per week
• over 2,500 kg of expanded polystyrene foam per week
• over 29,000 kg of polyethylene and laminated plastic film including plastic shopping bags, food wrappers, milk bags and chip bags per week

Through our extensive community engagement, residents expressed a desire for genuine waste reduction and elimination, rather than mere substitution. They emphasized the need to balance accessibility with environmental outcomes. The SUI reduction strategy aims to minimize overall waste, decrease landfill contributions, and encourage businesses, consumers, and residents to adopt more environmentally conscious practices. The City promotes innovative waste reduction ideas and supports both new and existing initiatives in Guelph. This initiative encourages local businesses to offer reusable takeout containers, accept reusable cups, and provide reusable bags to organizations supporting those in need within the community.

How you can help reduce single-use item waste

• Bring your own reusable bags or totes when shopping.
• Bring your own reusable cup or mug when purchasing a beverage-to-go.
• Bring your own reusable food container when purchasing food-to-go or bringing home leftovers.
• Donate clean, reusable bags in good condition to non-profits for distribution to those in need within the community.
• Skip the single use utensils and condiments if you can.

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health recommendations

While developing Phase 2 of the SUI Reduction Strategy, the City consulted with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health staff to discuss their concerns and recommendations about offering reusable cups and containers at food-service businesses.

Federal government’s ban on single-use plastics

The Federal Government’s Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations, in effect since 2022, are part of Canada’s broader strategy to combat pollution, achieve zero plastic waste by 2030, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Although the Federal Court in Ottawa overturned the national single-use ban on November 16, 2023, the Government of Canada appealed this decision on December 8, 2023. On January 25, 2024, the Federal Court of Appeal granted a stay motion, preventing the November 16 ruling from taking effect while the appeal is ongoing. As a result, the Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations remain in force.

Resources

• Government of Canada’s Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations
• Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations – Technical guidelines
• Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations – Guidance for selecting alternatives
• Fact sheet: Exceptions for single-use plastic flexible straws
• The City of Guelph’s Single-Use Items Bylaw.

For more information

Solid Waste Resources
519-767-0598
TTY: 519-826-9771
[email protected]