Beyond the Bylaw – Additional measures that municipalities, businesses and citizens can take to reduce single-use items

Monday, May 6, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM MT

Watch the recording:

Spend an hour with our invited speakers to learn about further actions that municipalities, businesses, and individuals can take to address and reduce single-use items in Alberta. Each speaker brings firsthand knowledge on the subject, as they have been actively and successfully building programs, supporting decision-makers, and advocating for reducing single-use item waste locally. You’ll hear about creative programs to reduce the need for disposable cups, take-away containers, festival waste, and more. Discover expanded ideas for single-use item reduction strategies at a municipal level, such as funding options and overcoming gaps in infrastructure, as well as ways to increase education and awareness.

Moderator:

Alison Abbink – City of Edmonton

The session was moderated by the City of Edmonton, whose single-use reduction bylaw (2023) and strategy (2022) aim to reduce the number of items used in Edmonton by 20 percent in just four years. Municipal bylaws are critical pieces of the single-use waste reduction puzzle, and explored what can be done including and beyond them!

Speakers:

Tanya Pacholok – Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley

The Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley empowers community leadership to address environmental challenges. After running a successful pilot program, “Banff Isn’t Disposable,” they are researching how reusable cup and container programs can be sustained and expanded throughout the Bow Valley. They also coordinate the Green Team – dedicated volunteers who support waste reduction at events, including achieving a 91% diversion rate for the Canmore Folk Music Festival.

Sean Stepchuk – Waste Free Edmonton

Waste Free Edmonton is a grassroots, non-profit organization that works to significantly reduce the amount of waste created in Edmonton by stopping it at the source. In 2022, they strongly advocated for the adoption of a comprehensive single-use plastics strategy, including a bylaw with bans or surcharges.

John MacInnes – Earthware

Earthware’s vision is to offer superior solutions that eliminate the need to consume millions of single-use containers. Through their reusable container solution for take-out food, they intend to prevent 1,000,000 single-use containers from going into landfills by 2025.