One year later: City of Montreal says positive results after banning single-use plastic

The city of Montreal says banning single-use plastic in food stores and restaurants in 2023 has proven successful.

According to a press release on Monday, 92 per cent of the inspected establishments now use more environmentally-friendly containers and utensils, which contributes directly to waste reduction.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said at a press conference that she is happy the efforts have paid off and that other municipalities are following suit.

“Montreal’s ambition is to lead the way and to be a real forerunner in the ecological transition in Quebec. Just one year after it came into force, our ambitious by-law has been a resounding success, confirming that the city’s move towards zero waste is well under way. Above all, it’s a collective success, because we wouldn’t be where we are today without the cooperation of Montreal’s retailers, who are also committed to reducing our ecological footprint.”

Before the ban, the city of Montreal ran an information campaign aimed at restaurants and food shops and set up the Affaires Montréal support service which is a phone line to help businesses.

To help them with the transition, the city also supported the Guichet unique pour la transition alimentaire, which has a directory of alternatives to banned items, a guide to help set up reusable solutions, and offers low-cost support from a food transition expert. 

Additionally, they support the Contenant ÉCO initiative of the Association des Sociétés de développement commercial de Montreal, which gives free support to food businesses to help them implement reusable containers and reduce their single-use packaging.

“Above all, it’s a collective success, because we wouldn’t be where we are today without the cooperation of Montreal’s retailers, who are also committed to reducing our ecological footprint,” explained Plante in a press release. “I’d like to thank them for adopting this change of habit, which also helps to keep our city clean and green.”

Marie-Andrée Mauger is the Executive Committee member responsible for the ecological transition and the environment.

She claims that landfills are reaching their full capacity and that collectively, we no longer have a choice but to accelerate the reduction of single-use plastics.

“The success of the shift we began a year ago is a perfect illustration of the strength of a collective movement. I’m proud of the result we’ve achieved, which already seems to be inspiring other Quebec municipalities to follow suit, motivating us to redouble our efforts. I also encourage Montrealers to continue their good habits by promoting the use of reusable items and saying no to single-use items,” explained Mauger in a press release.