03 • 15 • 2022
Pacific Rim to Cut the Cutlery
VICTORY! Pacific Rim eliminates single-use plastic and bioplastic cutlery from Tofino to Ucluelet
On March 15, 2022, the District of Ucluelet voted unanimously to ban single-use plastic and bioplastic utensils (spoons, forks, knifes, chopsticks, and stir sticks), aligning with the City of Tofino’s February 22, 2022 unanimous vote to ban these items. These bans will go into effect on August 22nd, 2022 in Tofino and September 15th, 2022 in Ucluelet. This transitional time period will allow the business community to adjust their current practices, educate staff, use up any existing stocks of plastic utensils, and identify appropriate and available product alternatives. The Chapter will continue to work with these businesses to support them in this transition.
This represents a huge coastal victory for the Pacific Rim Chapter’s Cut the Cutlery campaign, a two year effort in which the Chapter worked directly with businesses and the Tofino and Ucluelet Chambers of Commerce to raise awareness and identify solutions to the problem of single-use plastic utensils, which are some of the most common items found on beach cleanups. The campaign included a Cut the Cutlery feedback survey, which revealed that 100% of businesses support a ban on plastic cutlery, including all 60 Ocean Friendly Businesses in Tofino and Ucluelet as well as 42 additional businesses.
A huge thank you to the Districts of Tofino and Ucluelet, The Tofino and Ucluelet Chambers of Commerce, our local business community, and our chapter leaders and volunteers!
You can read more about this important victory on the Surfrider Pacific Rim website, the CBC news site, and in the Westerly News.