Proposed plastic bag ban 'a great day for Iqaluit': activist
25.09.2008 00:04
Shopping
- Source: cbc.ca
Eco-minded residents in Iqaluit are cheering city council for drafting a bylaw that, if approved, would make plastic shopping bags a floating memory by next spring. At a meeting Tuesday night, councillors introduced the measure, which would rid the Nunavut capital of single-use plastic bags effective April 1, reducing the number of bags that litter the streets and end up in the local landfill. "It's a good day, a great day for Iqaluit," Shirley Allder, an environmental activist in the municipality, told CBC News on Wednesday, while walking along a stream cluttered with litter. "I'm seeing
lots of plastic bags and a few plastic bottles, like pop bottles, all in the stream here," she observed. "It's quite a sight, really." Under the proposed bylaw, local retailers would not be allowed to give customers single-use plastic bags for regular purchases and could instead offer paper or reusable bags. However, plastic bags could still be used to package fish, meat and unwrapped produce. Retailers would be fined $100 for violations of the bag ban. The bylaw passed first reading at Tuesday night's meeting, then was discussed in committee. It will have to pass third reading before it can take effect. "We're looking at a ban of single-use plastic bags, which is the non-biodegradable, non-compostable" type, Iqaluit economic development officer Mike Bozzer said. "Some plastic bags will still be allowed, the ones that compost in between one and four years, whereas the regular ones take up to 400 [years] in these climates." Campaigned since 2003Allder said she and other concerned residents have been pushing for a plastic bag ban since 2003. Bozzer said the city has received a lot of correspondence from citizens asking for the ban. At least one retailer is on side with the city's plan: the North West Company, which owns the NorthMart general store, said a plastic bag ban fits with the company's environmental agenda. But a ban on plastic shopping bags will cost money, executive vice-president Michael McMullen said. "The cost of shipping plastic is about a tenth of the cost of shipping paper," he said. "So this will be absolutely anything but a cost-saving measure." McMullen said the company will donate reusable bags, as well as charge a small fee for paper bags. Iqaluit is not the only northern Canadian city that's mulling over ways to reduce the waste created by single-use plastic bags. City councillors in Whitehorse are looking at a proposal to charge an environmental fee on each plastic bag handed out in the city. RelatedInternal LinksWhitehorse city councillor changes course on plastic bag banConsumer HeadlinesLong-standing problems threaten Canadian food safety, experts warnFood officials were made aware of serious problems in the inspection system that could threaten public safety three years before an outbreak of listeriosis that has been linked to 18 deaths, according to a CFIA report.Liberals 'didn't act' on food safety concerns raised in 2005: HarperConservative Leader Stephen Harper again defended his government's handling of the recent listeriosis crisis Wednesday, saying the Tories have acted to improve Canada's food inspection system since finding out officials were told of serious problems in the system three years ago.Energy drinks can contain same caffeine as 14 cans of pop: studySome energy drinks contain as much caffeine as 14 cans of Coca-Cola and have no labels warning consumers about potential health risks, say researchers with John Hopkins University in Baltimore. Finance minister calls for more accountability in insurance industryManitoba's finance minister is demanding more accountability from the insurance industry after a CBC News investigation into one family's troubles with an insurance firm.EU getting tough on telecom companiesThe European Parliament has approved a proposal that will let national governments compel companies to sever their network operations from their retail divisions. Consumer Life FeaturesIN DEPTHSafetyText messaging becomes a road hazardQUIRKS & QUARKSCarbon quizTest yourself on Canada's greenhouse gas emissionsSAFETYRecalls and Advisories- Wooden toy trains
- Harry Potter bookends
MOBILE PHONESFAQAndroid: Why Google's cellphone software is making wavesBLOGFood BytesRipe for debateCOMM-ODDITIESFor saleChef offers free eatery to right customerPeople who read this also read …
| 
Add comment