Plastic water bottle ban in Tofino, B.C., a first among Canadian municipalities

Just in time for Earth Day, the Vancouver Island community of Tofino is making history as the first Canadian municipality to ban the sale of single-use plastic

Just in time for Earth Day, the Vancouver Island community of Tofino’s ban on single-use plastic water bottles has come into effect.

The ban—which was approved by the District of Tofino council last summer—is the first of its kind to be enacted by a Canadian municipality, and applies to bottles of up to one litre of water.

Mayor Dan Law said the move has been supported by community members, business owners and visitors who want to see less plastic waste in the scenic tourism hotspot.

“We see it in the landfill, we see it on the beaches,” Law said. “So we’re acting not to be first, but because we have to.”

More than 60,000 bottles have been recovered from beaches on the west coast of Vancouver Island since 2015, according to the district, which noted that plastic waste also breaks down into microplastics in the water.

The months-long leadup to Tofino’s ban was designed to give local businesses time to sell their existing inventory, officials said. Going forward, visitors are encouraged to bring a reusable bottle for drinking water.

Several Canadian municipalities have imposed restrictions on selling plastic water bottles in civic facilities, but none but Tofino have imposed a full ban.