A Kamloops city councillor says he prefers the carrot before the stick when it comes to reducing the amount of plastic heading to city landfills.
Arjun Singh says companies need incentives to innovate before any laws are passed that would force them to stop using plastic straws, or grocery bags.
His comments come after an announcement by North Vancouver-based A & W Canada that it is ending its use of plastic straws by the end of this year.
“Business wants to make a profit and is also trying to be environmentally friendly so I think that they are showing that those things don’t have to go in conflict. They can go hand-in-hand and I think as we go in more the brave new world of climate action there will be things that are challenging to folks. You need companies like A & W to step up and say hey we can do this and we’re going to show people how to do it.”
With a number of locations in Kamloops, A & W is now the first fast food chain in North America to ditch plastic straws.
Customers will now have the option of using bio-degradable paper straws instead.
Singh also noted some local businesses like the Noble Pig Brew House have opted to make the change as well – all without being legislated.