A proposal from Saanich Councillor and CRD Director Ned Taylor to ban single use Styrofoam across the region is going before the CRD Committee in July.
At Wednesday's CRD Parks and Environment committee, Taylor brought forward a motion to ban single use Styrofoam cups and containers. He received support from Saltspring Director Gary Holman and Saanich Director Rebecca Mersereau, and together they will propose a motion that direct staff to investigate the idea of creating a bylaw that municipalities could then adopt and enforce.
"So this is something CRD staff have done in the past, they did this last term when Regional Directors were looking at banning single use plastic bag. So it's something they have experience with, and so it would be following a similar process and having them create a bylaw to ban single use Styrofoam cups and containers."
Taylor says he was inspired by the recent plastic bag ban, and notes that Styrofoam generates a lot of waste worldwide, and right at home.
"We're seeing bits of Styrofoam on our beaches, in our streams, in our parks, and littered elsewhere throughout the region. So it's having a negative impact on our environment, and our people, but it's also a major issue globally."
He says local governments can have a significant impact on waste production and treatment. Taylor hopes his motion is passed so they can do their part to protect the environment.