Single-use products: Prévost will charge 10 to 50 cents

Prévost will charge a fee of 10 to 50 cents for single-use products sold in its territory starting in July, a first in the country. The Quebec Food Retailers Association (ADA) fears inconsistency between municipalities regarding these new fees.

With this measure, the city of Prevost hopes to reduce the use of plastic and the amount of waste that must be treated. He bills his waste management at $1.3 million a year.

Town Hall plans instead to promote other wholesale options to consumers where no fees will be required.

This new so-called “environmental contribution” financial fee should be used in particular to create a municipal fund to support projects with professions responsible for the environment, and advance Prévost’s press release, which calls on other municipalities in the vicinity to follow suit.

The Director of the Environmental Department, Frederic Marceau, emphasized that “the best way to reduce the problem of consumption of single-use products at the source is to cooperate with merchants and citizens.”

Note that this additional cost will be added to the deposit already in place. Then in 2023, new charges for 100ml to 2L glass, metal or carton bottles as part of a deposit update will drive the bill even higher.

La nouvelle consigne en 2023, rappelons-le, devrait faire grimper de 25 cents le coût lors de l’achat d’une bouteille de vin ou de spiritueux, et de 10 cents le prix pour les autres contenants consignés (jus, lait, eau , Soft drinks).

In addition to the tax, all retailers selling water bottles or containers of windshield washer fluid at Prevost will also have to start at 1^Verse It may offer its customers a fountain or filling station solution.

Since September 2021, Prévost has also banned the sale of some single-use plastic products, such as straws and cotton swabs, on its territory.

For its part, the ADA fears that every Quebec municipality will now charge its own for royalty. She asks Legault’s government to act quickly and establish guidelines.

According to the association, two neighboring cities can currently charge different prices for the same single-use product.

There is already a fee to take back these containers. […] “Privost citizens will be taxed twice,” said Stephane Lakas, director of public and government affairs at the ADA.

“Because there is no pressure gauge, every city can do whatever it wants,” he added.