Yes, drive thrus and take-away restaurants must comply. Businesses must:

• Charge the minimum fee for new paper or new reusable shopping bags.
• Provide new paper or new reusable shopping bags by request only.
• Provide foodware accessories by request only.

Yes, food delivery and grocery delivery services must comply. Businesses must:

• Charge the minimum fee for new paper or new reusable shopping bags.
• Provide new paper or new reusable shopping bags by request only.
• Provide foodware accessories by request only.

• Yes, you can reuse boxes or other shipping materials in replacement of “shopping bags”. The minimum mandatory fees would not be required.
• We recommend you only provide these options on request, not by default.

• This would be considered primary packaging. This type of packaging is not included in the Federal Single-use Plastics Regulations or The City’s single-use items bylaw.
• Plastic checkout bags are banned under the Federal regulations. Other types of plastic packaging are not impacted by the Federal regulations.
• The City’s minimum bag fees and by request requirements are intended for online grocery and food ordering where a “shopping bag” is used to package the order. 

These convenience items create a staggering amount of waste. They can be found littered in our parks and communities, and end up in the landfill. Producing, using and disposing these items uses up natural resources, and causes harm to our water bodies, ecosystems and wildlife.

On December 20, 2023, the Government of Canada is banning the distribution of plastic shopping bags that are labelled as compostable or biodegradable. They will not be available anywhere in Canada.

The fees for new paper and new reusable shopping bags have been set so that they are high enough to give customers an incentive to bring their own reusable bags. Calgarians can avoid paying the fee by bringing their own reusable bag or tote from home.

Fees from new paper and reusable bags will be kept by the business to help offset costs of purchasing these items. We encourage businesses to use any net revenue to further initiatives to reduce single-use items such as offering a deposit-return system for reusable bags or totes, setting up a bag share program, or donating reusable bags to a local charity that provides food, clothing, or other items to Calgarians in need.

Yes.

No, the charge only apply to new reusable shopping bags and paper shopping bags provided to customers.

Yes, businesses can choose to charge more than the minimum as part of their own operational practices.

No, the minimum fees must be charged on all new paper and reusable shopping bags.

Yes.  Businesses must prominently display information about the fees charged in a location visible to a customer at the time and place of purchase (e.g. till, online platform).

The business must also indicate the fee as a separate line item on any receipt given to the customer using wording such as “PAPER BAGS” and “REUSABLE BAGS”.

If a customer refuses to pay the fee they do not receive a new paper or reusable bag and must carry their items as is.

Paper shopping bags must contain at least 40% recycled content as indicated in print on the bag. 

The mandatory minimum fee applies to paper shopping bags more than 400 square centimeters when flat.

A “reusable shopping bag” means a shopping bag made of any type of material, excluding film plastic and paper, and is designed and manufactured to be durable enough for multiple uses, and is capable of being washed or disinfected.

If a business feels it would not be safe or sanitary to use a customer provided reusable shopping bag, you can politely refuse it.

No, if your business wants to go “bag free” you may choose to do so.

Prior to December 20, 2023, you can try and use up your existing stock. You can try and donate items to a charity that might be able to use them. You can also give them to employees and friends to use (i.e., plastic bags as garbage bin liners).

As per Federal regulations banned plastic items cannot be distributed to customers after December 20, 2023. The City is not sure how the Government of Canada plans to enforce this. It is not within our authority to enforce federal Regulations.

By request includes:

• when a customer asks staff for a bag/foodware accessories or selects from a self-serve area.
• When staff asks the customer if they require a bag/foodware accessories.
• When a customer answers a prompt requesting specific foodware accessories on an ordering platform.

Businesses with extra plastic bag stock can try and donate them to a charity that might be able to use them. Or recycle them as per your business (hauler) recycling requirements.