On the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, there’s a little town called Tofino. You’ve probably heard of it — when most people think of surfing in Canada, it’s the first place that springs to mind — and its residents are a certain type of surfer. Green leaning and wool wearing, the place attracts many surfers who have a deep appreciation for the natural world. And on March 11, the town announced it would become the first municipality in British Columbia to ban single-use plastic utensils, including spoons, forks, knives, chopsticks, stir sticks, polystyrene takeaway containers, plastic straws, and checkout bags.
If someone were to make a Tofino-scented candle, it would smell of pine, sea water, and woodsmoke. It has shades of the North Shore, with a long bike path covered in healthy people riding bikes with surfboards strapped on. The waves, of course, aren’t as good as the North Shore, but the stoke levels are the same and the waves do indeed get very good. The scenery, like in most of B.C., is staggeringly pretty. Snow-capped mountains, enormous trees, and sprawling white-sand beaches backed by striking rock formations. It’s a wild place, mostly untouched by the hand of man, and many of the residents like it that way.
The ban on single-use plastics came after the District of Tofino adopted the Single-Use Item Regulation Amendment Bylaw. It came after a 2019 collaboration with Surfrider Pacific Rim, and now businesses in the district have a six-month transition period to make the necessary changes before the bylaw is enforced.
According to Surfrider Pacific Rim, plastic utensils can’t be processed at most recycling facilities, so they generally end up in landfills. Even bioplastic doesn’t break down in a marine environment, so it’s mostly just paying lip service to the devastating impacts our reliance on plastic has.
“We’re at a crucial point in history,” said Amorita Adair, chair of Surfrider Pacific Rim. “The planet is beyond its ability to absorb the negative externalities of a linear economic system, and our communities are ready and willing to take more drastic action to curb the plastics crisis.”
Back in 2019, Tofino and the neighboring town of Ucluelet banned plastic bags and straws. Ucluelet is likely going to follow Tofino’s lead and add cutlery to the list of banned plastics.
In the face of the amount of environmental issues we’re facing — rampantly belching climate-warming gasses into the atmosphere, dumping chemicals into our waterways, and everything else we’re doing to make our planet a very uncomfortable place to live — banning plastic forks might seem like a small gesture. But it’s a small gesture in the right direction, and every little bit counts.
“This is one win in a larger battle,” said Tofino Mayor Dan Law, “and I look forward to further initiatives to keep our local and regional communities at the forefront in the fight against plastic waste.”