Sackville town council plans to reduce the amount of single use plastic garbage being generated by town activities with a new policy passed on Monday.
The Reducing Plastic Waste policy comes in anticipation of federal rules to eliminate plastic waste that might be in place as early as the end of the year.
The town’s climate change coordinator Kirsty Mrazek explained the basics of the new policy to council at their meeting last Monday night. “This policy would apply to all council members, town employees, and Sackville Fire Department,” said Mrazek, “during meetings and events, as well as in all of the town’s facilities, in the kitchens, public works and the [Visitor Information Centre], as well at all public events where the town would provide food or beverage services.”
Mrazek said the Town will provide dishes and access to dishwashers, to make the change more feasible.
The only times the policy would not be in effect is during an emergency, such as when firefighters go out on call, or at the canteen at the Tantramar Veterans Memorial Civic Centre.
Councillors Bill Evans chimed in last week with positive comments on the plastic ban, and to ask why the Civic Centre Canteen would remain exempt from the policy.
CAO Jamie Burke explained the town had yet to find a replacement for the Red Solo cups currently used to sell alcoholic beverages at the Canteen, so it was left out of the policy, but staff were still looking for a suitable replacement.
Councillor Sabine Dietz echoed Bill Evans and Mrazek herself, pointing out that the policy would not mean an overnight change to behaviour around single use plastics.
“Once you start getting into implementing this policy, it means that, whoops, certain things you can’t do anymore,” said Dietz. “And I think we need to give staff and ourselves a bit of grace time before we sort of complain about something not happening. But I think it’s a great initiative.”
The policy was approved at Monday’s council meeting with all councillors present voting in favour, and Councillor Bruce Phinney voting against.
In December, the federal government introduced draft regulations that would prohibit the manufacture, import and sale of single-use plastic checkout bags, cutlery, straws, stir sticks and foodservice ware made from or containing problematic plastics. (Flexible plastic straws will still be allowed for sale to accommodate those who need them.) In a news release, the federal government says it expects the final regulations to be in place by late 2022.