Edmontonians will still have to fork over $0.25 for a paper bag at drive-throughs. City council narrowly defeated a motion to scrap the bag fee on Tuesday afternoon after a discussion about the single-use item bylaw first introduced in 2023. An administrative report found that since then, single-use waste has dropped 30 per cent. It says retail bags made up a large portion of that reduction. The data is collected by looking at a makeup of city waste but does not distinguish between bags from grocery stores, fast food or shops. With the motion coming down to a 7-6 vote in favour of keeping the fee, some councillors worried the current charge is unfair and unnecessary. Ward pihêsiwin Coun. Mike Elliott says he first brought the motion forward months ago because he didn’t like charging people for things like fast food. “I believe in education, education, education … I know it’s a quarter. I get it. But I worry about those on AISH, seniors, those with fixed income, that still do eat out,” he said during Tuesday’s discussion. “I don’t like charging somebody for it.” Others argue it’s having the intended effect. “I’ve been reflecting on how few tools we really have to help prompt behaviour change to move us forward toward our waste reduction goals, and this is one of those tools and levers that truly does make a difference,” Ward Métis Coun. Ashley Salvador said. “It’s a small financial nudge; it creates an opportunity for people to pause, reflect and just decide whether or not they truly do need a bag or not.” Ward Dene Coun. Aaron Paquette said despite not having a full breakdown of waste reduction, council shouldn’t ignore “irrefutable” data showing a downward trend in single-use waste just to appease those who may not like coughing up a quarter. “There’s an old phrase: ‘The facts don’t care about your feelings.’ In recent times, it kind of feels like, ‘My feelings don’t care about your facts,’” he said. “It’s a very cynical path to embrace as a politician. It means that you ignore the data at hand to make prudent and wise decisions because there is a populist reward for not doing so.” The report also says paper bag waste is down 10 per cent despite many businesses switching from plastic to paper under the bylaw. City staff say the fee helps Edmonton meet its climate goals by reducing waste before it’s created. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson
