Richmond city council’s decision to ban single-use plastics by 2020 may have been lauded by environmentalists, but not everyone is clapping their hands with joy.
Among the detractors, is the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, which is questioning the time frame for the ban to kick in.
“Most of the businesses we’ve talked to weren’t even aware this is happening,” said Matt Pitcairn, president and CEO of the chamber.
“Some of them just ordered two years of (plastics) supply, now they only have a number of months to use these products or they’ll either need to be recycled or become garbage.”
In response to the city’s proposed ban, the chamber has launched an online survey, which will be available for a month, to encourage business owners to share their thoughts on the impact of the ban and discuss possible alternatives.
“We aren’t presupposing the outcome of the survey; we really want to hear from businesses and understand how this could impact them -- positively or negatively,” said Pitcairn.
A proposal to ban single-use plastic bags, plastic draws, foam cups and containers by Jan. 1, 2020 was brought forward at a city council general purpose committee meeting in May.
Considering the significant impact the ban could have for some businesses, the chamber wanted to ensure that business owners were fully consulted before the ban came into effect.
Pitcairn stressed that the issue is not the ban, but rather the short time frame of implementation.
“Businesses need time to prepare for these things. They don’t order a supply for just a few months in advance, they order 12 months or 24 months earlier instead.”
The City of Vancouver also realized it had to give businesses more lead time.
Initially, they planned to implement the ban by June 1, 2019, however, its council agreed to delay the ban to April 2020 in an effort to give business more time to adjust.
For more information, visit https://www.richmondchamber.ca/policy-push/, and the survey is available in both English and Chinese.
