Single use ban on the way?

Photo: Pixabay

Single-use plastics may become a thing of the past in the regional district.

North Okanagan Regional District officials are exploring the possibility of a bylaw that would outlaw single-use plastics such as straws.

Board chairperson Kevin Acton said Salmon Arm and Victoria have already made the move and it is something the RDNO is looking into.

Acton said with the downturn in some of areas of the recycling industry, officials are “taking a pretty serious look at banning single-use plastics throughout the North Okanagan.”

The ban would include items like straws, plastic bags, plastic cups and other materials.

Acton said officials are looking at bylaws in Salmon Arm and Victoria.

“Styrofoam and cellophane, we need to have some things for packaging, but wherever we can do away with the use of single-use plastics without causing hardship we are going to look toward doing some of those things,” he said.

Acton said some of the items that could be banned have been recyclable in the past, but the market is changing and some companies are refusing to take items that may be contaminated because they lose money on disposing of contaminated items.

Acton said they have also sent a letter to the province urging them to address the packaging items come in.

A small item can be wrapped in a lot of plastic, which can end up in the landfill.

“It's a huge issue,” said Acton. “We know it's so they can have shelf space and they can advertise their product, but if we can get the province to start pinning down the producers we can nip it in the bud before it becomes a recycling problem.”

Acton said a lot of progress has been made when it comes to recycling and he wants to see that trend continue, despite changes to the industry.

“We want to keep those habits we have been developing for the past 20 years. We don't want people think we aren't recycling because we are, we are just changing the way we are doing things,” he said.