Reusable Toronto and TEA celebrate Toronto’s new by-laws to reduce single-use waste! Starting March 1st, two new by-laws mean Toronto businesses and customers will be dealing with less waste.

Businesses across Toronto will:

• Ask-first before giving out accessories like utensils, condiments and napkins
• Allow customers to bring their own clean cup or bag

These are both proven and effective practices to cut single-use plastics and other disposables, and save businesses money from handing out piles of unnecessary items every day. Other cities around the world are already doing this and more, and we’re happy to see Toronto follow suit. 

This is a big win for Toronto and a result of the hard work of so many community advocates and reuse champions pushing for change and showing what’s possible! 

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Ask-first for accessories

Starting now, customers will no longer be handed accessories like plastic utensils or condiments by default - they’ll be asked first whether they want them.
Surveys and public consultation in Toronto and Vancouver suggest that 70% of customers say they get ‘accessories’ like cutlery, condiments, straws and napkins when they don’t want them. [1] This simple question will have a big impact on reducing waste.

UofT shows that Toronto’s small businesses know they’ll save money by not giving out accessories to every customer. And businesses know that a bylaw levels the playing field - they don’t need to worry about one unhappy customer that leaves a bad review if they miss their ketchup. Read the report here.

Major chain restaurants and online ordering apps already follow these regulations in other cities, so they already know how to do it - they just need a push to roll them out here.

Researchers from the UofT Trash Team, TEA and community partners the Green Neighbours Network visited more than 600 food service businesses in 6 neighbourhoods last year, tracking typical orders, foodware used, transactions per day and portion of orders that are takeout.

2. BYO (Bring-Your-Own)

Most Toronto businesses already allow customers to bring their own cup, this rule will remove any uncertainty, and help promote the practice. Some major chains have been slower to offer BYO, especially for online orders or drive-through, so this will give them the kick to get on with it.

Groups like Roncy Reduces and the whole Canada Reduces network have been working for years to encourage BYO, in part by getting businesses to display a sticker that shows customers the business will accept their cup. Their efforts have made a big impact, and this bylaw is a big leap forward that brings BYO to all restaurants!

UofT research and business surveys show that most small businesses are happy to accept customer cups and want support to encourage customers to BYO. That’s exactly what the new by-law will do.

What happens next?

Toronto has been working on a Single-Use Reduction Strategy for years, and these phase 2 regulations are following the lead of other Canadian and US cities that have already rolled out regulations - Vancouver, Edmonton, New York City, LA and Chicago to name a few.
A first step, but we can’t wait for Phase 3!

City Council also directed staff to look at additional bylaws, including regulations for large event venues, allowing customers to bring-their-own containers, and, most importantly: requiring reusable foodware for dine-in.
These are standard practice for many independent restaurants, and the law in a growing number of cities, states and countries that are fed up with unnecessary and harmful single use foodware.

Over the coming year, as Toronto businesses and customers adjust to these new, simple lower waste practices, we’ll be celebrating the steady shift away from waste, and will continue the push for Toronto to follow the lead of other cities and take further steps with regulations to require reusable foodware

Watch out for public consultations and join the push for reuse regulations!

Read our blog outlining Single-Use Reduction Strategy victory vote in December, and the next steps to watch for at @reusable.to

Read our background document on the value of Single-Use and Reuse regulations.  

[1] City of Toronto's 2018 Single-Use and Takeaway Items Reduction Strategy public consultation heard 68% of respondents say they are given single-use items without being asked if they want it. The City of Vancouver reports that 71% of Vancouver residents said they would reduce the amount of single-use items if asked first.