The City of Nanaimo said goodbye to single-use plastic bags on July 1st, as a new bylaw (No. 7283) comes into effect blocking their use at checkout counters.
The city says it estimates Nanaimoers used 40-million each year and that the average Canadian uses 400 single-use plastic bags in a year.
There are some exceptions to the rule, including bags for produce and bulk goods, and protective bags for newspapers and dry cleaning.
“This change at our checkouts is a bit of a throwback; plastic checkout bags have only been mainstream for about 50 years, and yet, the extreme number of these around our planet has become a global problem,” says Mayor Leonard Krog. “In the same way we’ve adjusted to become a mask-wearing society, we’ll soon be well-practiced at remembering our reusable bags.”
Retailers will still have the option of selling paper bags at checkouts, provided they have at least 40-percent recycled content. Bags can be sold for a minimum of 15-cents, with a raise in minimum price to 25-cents coming in January.
They can also sell reusable bags at check-outs, that will be washable and capable of at least one hundred uses. Reusable bags can be sold for a current minimum of one dollar, with that minimum rising to two dollars in January.