Increase in Edmonton’s paper, reusable bag fee takes effect July 1

Edmonton businesses will see a scheduled increase in the cost of paper and reusable bags take effect this Canada Day.

The City of Edmonton confirmed in a social media post that new paper bags will cost at least 25 cents starting on July 1. New reusable bags are scheduled to increase to at least $2.

Current pricing, which will remain in effect until June 30, sits at 15 cents for paper bags and $1 for reusable bags.

“The fee goes to businesses to help recoup costs, and the savings go to the environment,” the city said in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The scheduled increase was first announced in January after the city’s utility committee decided to move forward with the single-use items bylaw.

When it was first introduced in 2023, plastic bags were banned, but stores could offer paper bags for 15 cents or reusable ones for $1. The plan was to increase the fee after one year.

According to the city, the bylaw’s goal is to reduce single-use items, not to switch from plastic to non-plastic items.

Councillors heard in January there was no hard data to suggest whether the fee is serving its intended purpose of cutting back on waste, but the city said charging a fee for shopping bags is a successful practice used to reduce waste in cities like San Francisco, Vancouver, Victoria and Banff.

The city said residents can avoid paying the fees by bringing their own bag or going without one. Free reusable bags are also available at the city’s Reuse Centre on 68th Avenue and 83rd Street NW.

The City of Calgary repealed its own single-use items bylaw last month due to pushback from the public.

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