GUELPH – Whenever Wellington County councillors are allowed back into the council chamber here following the lifting of COVID-19-related restrictions, they won’t be taking any single-use plastics (SUP) with them.
During a March 26 meeting held by tele-conference due to the ongoing pandemic, county council approved a solid waste services committee recommendation to “eliminate single-use plastics from county council chambers.”
The measure was taken following presentation of a staff report from solid waste services manager Das Soligo at the March 10 committee meeting. The report was a follow-up on direction from county council on Oct. 31.
Wider ban investigated
In the report, Soligo noted staff continues to investigate the possibility and implications of wider plastics ban.
“Staff have been researching many reports and media reports from both international and Canadian sources to develop a baseline of knowledge, which will provide a foundation for the next steps to be taken,” Soligo explains in the report.
“As a federal announcement on a national ban on select SUPs is expected in the near term, it is prudent to continue to monitor the government’s plans to ensure that a county plan will be in alignment with the national approach.”
Additional measures
In the meantime, staff plan to:
– inventory the use of SUPs in county facilities, operations and events;
– research the cost and feasibility of alternatives to SUPs; and
– form a cross-departmental task force to assess alternatives, consider exemptions and propose a recommended approach.
“With unprecedented attention on the issue of plastic waste, and SUPs in particular, it is important for the county to take a measured approach to considering restricting or banning their use in county facilities, operations and events, similar to how other Ontario municipalities are handling their own initiatives,” states the report.
“On such a fast-paced issue with both federal and potential provincial action on the horizon, there is value to ensuring that any future county plans are in alignment with other levels of government, and that they are not hastily enacted.”
The report was accepted by council as information.
