Coffee shops and other food and beverage sellers will no longer charge 25 cents for a single-use cup. Beginning on May 1, the City of Vancouver will no longer charge for single-use cups.

Businesses will also not be required to accept customers' clean reusable cups for drinks purchased in-store or to report the number of single-use beverage cups used when renewing their business licence.

Through the licensing bylaw number 4450, all of these regulations were enacted in January 2022. However, the retailers kept all proceeds from the cups and did not give them to the community.

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Critics claimed that the program unjustly penalized vulnerable community members and failed to discourage using single-use cups successfully. Supporters, however, asserted that eliminating the fee would be a move backward in waste-reduction efforts.

By May 1, food vendors are urged to take the cup charge off of their menus, receipts, and point-of-sale systems (in-store, online, and mobile), according to the statement.

In the upcoming weeks, city staff will take action to notify businesses, residents, and other impacted stakeholders about this change. In addition, all food vendors in Vancouver will receive a letter outlining repealing of the cup regulations and information on where to find assistance in other languages.

According to the current regulations, shopping bags, straws, utensils, and foam cups/containers are still prohibited. Although it is no longer an order, the city urges businesses to continue accepting clean, reusable cups from customers for takeout beverages.