2023-08-17 09:00:00
Despite their efforts, the major restaurant chains are still struggling to comply with the City of Montreal’s regulations prohibiting certain single-use items. Prohibited plastic straws, utensils or glasses were still on the menu of almost all of the addresses visited by The Press at the end of July. The Quebec Restoration Association calls for patience: “compliance is coming”.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
The Plante administration regulations, adopted in September 2021, provided for a grace period of 18 months, in particular to allow traders and restaurateurs to sell their stocks and implement alternative solutions. The new regulations came into effect on March 28.
Nearly five months later, the 32 inspectors of the Environment Service found “non-compliance” 1,151 times, according to figures sent to The Press by the City of Montreal. Only nine violation notices were issued.
“Service de l’environnement inspections began as soon as the regulations took effect on March 28, 2023, with a gradual approach,” explains publicist Kim Nantais, by email. No penalty is applied during the first visit to take account of adaptation issues for the establishments concerned, knowing that several establishments still have stocks to sell. »
However, it has been almost two years since the some 8,400 restaurants and food businesses in Montreal have been aware of their new obligations. Of the fifteen restaurants of major food chains visited by The Press in Montreal, all but two – a Tim Hortons and an A&W – could have been fined by inspectors.
Faced with our harvest of polymers, Karel Ménard, director general of the Quebec Common Front for Ecological Waste Management (FCQGED), frowns. “The regulations have been in effect for more than four months, and they were known in advance,” he said. It may be normal to have a little stock, but we still see too much. »
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Karel Ménard, Director General of the Quebec Common Front for Ecological Waste Management
Behind the counters of McDonald’s, Burger King, Second Cup, Jugo Juice, Bubble Tea Shop and Starbucks branches, several cold or frozen drinks were still served in polypropylene plastic glasses (no. 5), in contravention of the regulations. Only one Tim Hortons restaurant and one Van Houtte counter served all of their drinks in compliant glasses.
Efforts were however made by all the chains listed above: wooden or pressed paper utensils and cardboard straws complied with the regulations.
Conversely, Subway, KFC, Sushi Shop, Cultures, Souvlaki Bar, Copper Branch and Thaï Express restaurants distributed at least one plastic utensil by default during our visit. Catering companies can provide No. 5 plastic forks, spoons and forks, but only on request and for a takeaway meal.
The plastic utensils were themselves wrapped in plastic wrap during our visit to a Sushi Shop, a Pok Pok and a KFC. In a downtown Subway, plastic utensils rubbed shoulders with compostable wooden utensils. All were individually wrapped in a plastic bag.
Honestly, I don’t understand people marketing this. It’s absolutely ridiculous. It’s the kind of plastic packaging that will end up in the environment because it’s small, it flies in the wind.
Karel Ménard, of the Quebec Common Front for ecological waste management
A white polypropylene straw was also provided to us in a Subway. In Montreal, all plastic straws are prohibited, without exception. The one offered by Second Cup, in a plastic formula described as “biodegradable”, contravened municipal regulations just as much.
We must be careful of “false good ideas” that look like “greenwashing”, warns Karel Ménard, of the FCQGED. Some prohibited items that we presented to him, such as utensils and glasses, for example, display a recycling pictogram. “The Mobius Strip [le fameux symbole des matériaux récupérables], it is not standardized, he explains. I don’t know why they put one on, because these items are rejected by sorting centers, which accept containers, printed matter and packaging, period. Dishes, which are often soiled, contaminated or too small, do not go into the recycling bin. »
In terms of overconsumption, Mr. Ménard is more against “single-use items” than against “plastic”, a durable and inexpensive material if used wisely. “If bamboo utensils imported from China end up in the trash, you just move the problem. »
What is prohibited, regardless of the type of plastic:
Glasses Cups Utensils for on-site consumption Straws Sticks
What is allowed, except for polystyrene (#6) or “biodegradable” plastic:
Plates Containers Lids Trays (polystyrene can be used for meat and fish) Utensils for take-out or delivery orders, on request
The regulations do not cover:
Non-profit food aid organizations Establishments that only offer a home delivery service Pre-packaged foods outside the establishment Plastic-coated cups, glasses and cardboard containers
Source: City of Montreal
“A matter of time”
According to Martin Vézina, vice-president of public and governmental affairs for the Association Restauration Québec, the answer to our observations is “simple”: “We allow operators to dispose of their current stock,” he says. Some have a lot. Others are linked with a franchisor who has not yet established an alternative. »
It’s a matter of time before “the transition is made and the industry complies,” he said. Is it possible that restaurateurs took care to order a large quantity of plastic cutlery before the entry into force of the Montreal regulations? “I couldn’t tell you; It depends on each operator. »
On the side of the MTY Group, a franchisor which notably owns Sushi Shop, Bubble Tea Shop, Cultures, Thaï Express and Jugo Juice, President and CEO Éric Lefebvre indicates that the City of Montreal accepts “reusable plastic products” used by its restaurants. . “We must therefore be vigilant before judging the products only according to the material that composes them”, he wrote in an email to The Press.
PHOTO DENIS GERMAIN, ARCHIVES SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Eric Lefebvre, CEO of MTY Group
These plastics are generally made of polypropylene (#5) and withstand 100 dishwasher cycles, as defined by the Government of Canada, which will ban the sale of certain single-use plastic items such as utensils and straws from December 20 next.
“Our interpretation is that the City regulation is aligned with the federal in this case since the rule covers any item that is intended to be used only once or for a short period of time before being discarded or recycled”, pleads Mr. Lefebvre, who nevertheless recommends to his franchisees to use other materials, “like wooden utensils”.
Do the City of Montreal inspectors make the same interpretation of the by-law as MTY? “Federal regulations govern the technical properties of the article, while municipal regulations govern the use of the article,” explains publicist Camille Bégin.
Basically, the question is whether dishwasher-safe #5 plastic utensils distributed by restaurateurs typically end up in a trash can or recycling bin or are brought back and reused by consumers.
The Press found some possible answers in the cabarets that relied on the sorting islands of restaurants and food courts.
Up to $4000
Violators of Regulations prohibiting the distribution of certain disposable items risk a fine of $200 to $1,000 for a first offense, and $300 to $2,000 for a repeat offence. Companies are exposed to a penalty of $400 to $2,000 for an initial fault, then $500 to $4,000 if they do not comply.
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