The City of Salmon Arm is proceeding with work on a proposed ban of single-use plastic shopping bags.
At MondayB次元官网网址檚 council meeting, council voted unanimously in support of a resolution by Mayor Alan Harrison to direct city staff to draft a bylaw for the ban, to be included in a report with a recommended stakeholder engagement process and communication plan. Implementation of the bylaw would coincide with the start of organic curbside pick-up on July 1, 2019.
Harrison spoke to each of the B次元官网网址渨hereasB次元官网网址� points behind the resolution, the first noting the per capita rate of single-use plastic shopping bags in Canada is estimated to be 200 per year.
B次元官网网址淪o I thought, well, even if the people of Salmon Arm use 100 per year, that would mean we in Salmon Arm go through 1.7 million single-use plastic bags per year. ItB次元官网网址檚 probably more, but that would be a conservative number,B次元官网网址� said Harrison.
The mayorB次元官网网址檚 second point is that many of these bags wind up in the landfill.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 guilty of that because we use our single use plastic bags in our garbageB次元官网网址� and then I put those, we put those in a garbage bag, which goes to the garbage dump, which is not very environmentally friendly,B次元官网网址� said Harrison. B次元官网网址淲e also know many of those single-use plastic bags end up in the wilderness, in water and places that we donB次元官网网址檛 want them.B次元官网网址�
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Next, Harrison said there are alternatives to using single-use plastic bags, and that cities across North America have passed regulations prohibiting single-use bags.
Harrison emphasized the importance of communication, with both retailers and the public.
B次元官网网址淩etailers have spoken to me already B次元官网网址� a number of them and they are not against this idea,B次元官网网址� said Harrison. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e also thinking of the environment, and many of our retailers already charge for single-use plastic bags and are providing alternatives.
B次元官网网址淪o that stakeholder engagement is very important. And of course a communication plan to not just retailers but to customers like us is important.B次元官网网址�
Regarding the implementation date, Harrison explained that with the curbside pick-up or organics, residents would receive special bins that should eliminate the need for plastic bags.
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B次元官网网址淣ow the reason you wonB次元官网网址檛 have to use single-use plastic bags in the garbage in your house is nothing wet will go in that garbage can because all of your compost materials will go in a container,B次元官网网址� said Harrison. B次元官网网址淭hose single-use plastic bags will not be needed for that anymore and one of my worries is, if we donB次元官网网址檛 have a bylaw like thisB次元官网网址�, theyB次元官网网址檙e going to end up everywhere else and I donB次元官网网址檛 want that to happen. Also, itB次元官网网址檚 not necessary, so if we can do our part B次元官网网址� each person do our part and curb the use of 1.7 million plastic bags in Salmon Arm, then I think weB次元官网网址檝e done something and itB次元官网网址檚 possible.B次元官网网址�
Responding to Coun. Kevin FlynnB次元官网网址檚 concern that the city might not be able to undertake proper stakeholder consultation by July 1, Harrison suggested Salmon Arm emulate the City of Victoria which, after implementing its ban on single-use plastic bags, chose not to enforce the bylaw for six months.
He said this gave the public time to get used to it and retailers time to use up their bag inventory and find workable alternatives.
B次元官网网址淲hile the time line sounds ambitious for July 1, I think itB次元官网网址檚 important we pass the bylaw by that time with the understanding that the first six months following it is going to be an education for everyone,B次元官网网址� said Harrison. B次元官网网址淚 suspect two years from now, weB次元官网网址檙e going to be living without plastic bags and we wonB次元官网网址檛 even remember why that happened.B次元官网网址�
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