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In a major effort to combat plastic waste and address climate change, the Canadian government announced on June 20 a ban on the manufacture and importation of single-use plastics by the end of this year. 

For Cambridge business owners who deal in high volume takeout, making the switch to more sustainable containers, straws, cutlery and other items vital to the food service industry, cost is the only thing getting in their way.

"The cost of goods almost doubled because of the paper products. Paper products are a lot more expensive," said Disha Vadhadiya, who runs Mucho Burrito on Hespeler Road with her family and uses single-use plastics everyday and other materials to box up meals for customers. 

The federal ban on those items will come into effect this December and the sale of things like plastic checkout bags, cutlery, hard-to-recycle containers, ring carriers, stir sticks and straws will be prohibited come December 2023.

Up to 15 billion plastic checkout bags are used every year and approximately 16 million straws are used daily. Single-use plastics like these make up most of the plastic litter found on shorelines across Canada, according to government data. 

Luckily, Mucho Burrito made the switch on their own from plastic bags to store-bought paper four-years ago. Now their head office prints its logo on cardboard and compostable materials, but that can sometimes hurt their bottom line.

"Since they branded their box the price has gotten more expensive for us then just getting something random," said Vadhadiya.

Although she's happy to be more sustainable and provide environmentally friendly options, inflation has made the extra cost of paper products that much more difficult.

Like many restaurants, they've had to increase prices of food to pay for the extra costs.

"Lately, since the pandemic's hit I feel like everything's just been wobbly. Everything's just shifted," she said.

Greg Durocher, president of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce hasn't heard from any business locally complaining about the ban. Instead he's seen more of a willingness to change. 

"I think were going to find a way through that. There are very few restaurants that use plastic straws anymore," he said

"We need to eliminate single-use plastics so we don't fill our oceans. I think this is a really good move. I think business applauds it, cheers it and looks for opportunity within it as well."

Taking up the trend to be more sustainable a few years back, Little Mushroom Catering has now become a local pro on how to serve takeout with environmentally friendly packaging and is leading the way on sustainable takeout options.

The CEO, Stephanie Soulis, wants to be better, be more environmentally friendly and waste less food, said Katie Ferguson, purchasing manager and pastry chef.

"Steph just wanted to leave a lesser footprint on the environment. So we started awhile ago, we started with baby steps,"

Compostable plates and takeout containers were the first items the company began using.

The pandemic made them search faster to find takeout packaging methods that were environmentally friendly. 

When weddings and parties happened again they were able to bring in bamboo plates and cutlery they had sourced. 

"They hold up well even to liquids and stuff. The other plates they are coated with plastic with something and you can't even recycle them they just go in the garbage so we try to get things that once wet for awhile they just break apart and dissolve," Ferguson said.

"All of our late night menu items have been in compostable, cardboard things. Like for mac n' cheese stations, something like that."

Little Mushroom Catering does about 700 events a year, said Ferguson, and bamboo is their most commonly used option for packaging as well as large tin foil containers they can recycle. 

The example of Little Mushroom Catering is starting to rub off on other Cambridge businesses.

"She wants to do the right thing and she's looking at the long game, she's saying 'I want my business to be around for decades so that means I have to be part of the environmental progress,'" said Durocher.

The company also regularly composts and is also part of Second Harvest, a website that promotes ways to stop food waste.

"I can go on ther website and say we have five pounds of prepped carrots that came back from an event. We can't use it," Ferguson said. 

"It's untouched and anybody who signed up for it and is willingly to drive here to pick it up can come get it. Churches, House of Friendship, whoever wants to claim it can come pick it up and give out meals to the homeless or whoever."