As of July 1, the city of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada has a new law in place that concerns takeout food.
While many cities have enacted plastic bag laws (bans or fees for single-use plastic bags), Edmonton decided to go with a different approach. Rather than focus on plastics, the new law seeks to change the tendency to use single-use items entirely. It will, per the city’s website, “help reduce waste by targeting items that can easily be avoided or replaced with reusable options.”
“The goal is to reduce single-use items, not to switch from plastic items to non-plastic items,” the site reads.
Still, there are some limitations on plastic bags.
“Single-use plastic shopping bags (including compostable or biodegradable plastic shopping bags) can no longer be distributed, and businesses must charge at least 15 cents for a paper shopping bag and at least $1 for a new reusable shopping bag,” explains the site.
Now, a user on TikTok has sparked discussion after sharing their perspective on the new law.
@yallitslexy The bag only holds my food long enough for it to get passed through the window… I dont need it
♬ original sound – Lexy | Mom/Lifestyle 🤍
In a clip with over 393,000 views, TikTok user Lexy (@yallitslexy) shows a McDonald’s drive-thru announcement that it will charge 15 cents for each takeout bag in order to comply with the law.
“You can bet your a** that you will catch me in the McDonald’s drive-thru with a f*cking Walmart bag,” she says in the video. “Better yet, just hand me my food. I don’t need a bag. Just hand me my fries, hand me my burger, and I’ll be on my way.”
“I am not paying 15 f*cking cents for a bag that I’m going to throw in the garbage,” she continues. “H*ll to the no.”
In the comments section, users shared their complaints about the new law.
“If I pay for a paper bag they better give me a plastic straw,” wrote a user.
“But yet I receive about 50 flyers each week that goes straight to the garbage,” added another.
“Aren’t they already recyclable paper bags??? Why a charge,” questioned a third.
That said, others noted that laws like these are fairly common.
“They’ve been doing this in BC for a while and yes McDonald’s will ask you every single time if you would like a bag,” said a user. Shoppers in British Columbia can expect a 25-cent fee when receiving a paper bag.
“Chicago charge 10c a bag,” shared a second. The cost is actually 7 cents, but it’s true that Chicago has a takeout bag fee.
The Daily Dot reached out to Lexy via email.
