Bag ban means bad news for retailers caught still using plastic

CTV Montreal: Plastic ban comes into effect Montreal's plastic bag ban comes into effect and retailers caught giving out one-use bags could face hefty fines.

It’s bad bag after a ban on small, plastic, one-time usable bags went into effect in Montreal on Tuesday.

Retailers caught still using the bags could face fines of up to $1,000 for a first offence.

Camil Borduas of Atwater Market’s Boucherie Claude & Henri said his shop has switched to reusable bags, which they sometimes give out for free.

“I give the bags because people buy like $200 worth of meat and they can’t exactly take it in their arms,” he said.

Montreal isn’t the first place to implement such a ban. France and Italy have both made their own nationwide plastic bag bans and in Quebec, Brossard and Deux Montagnes have issued their own bans.

“Many of the biggest merchants have complied wo the bylaw, so that’s not a problem,” said City of Montreal spokesperson Philippe Sabourin. “It’s the little merchants who sometimes have trouble changing their habits and they still offer thin plastic bags and could face a fine.”

The ban doesn’t affect produce bags, which are still permitted for hygienic reasons.

While those living within the merged cities won’t be able to get the bags, residents of Westmount and other demerged cities aren’t affected. However, the City of Westmount has said it’s considering implementing a similar law.

Tony Russo of Westmount’s Cucina Di Tony’s said many of his customers have been changing their habits, even if they don’t have to.

“You’d be surprised how many people don’t want to pay that five cents,” he said. “Many people bring their own bags. A box will last us months, compared to two or three years ago, when we used to go through a box a week.”

John Cho of National Foods said they’ve also had many customers choosing paper over plastic.

“It depends on the type of customer, what they’re shopping for,” he said. “If they’re shopping for groceries, they’ll use their own reusable bags, but if they’re coming for lunch, they generally don’t have a bag or we’ll give them a paper bag if they prefer.”

Still, Cho questioned whether the ban will ultimately make much of a difference in achieving environmental goals.

“If they’re buying the thicker bags and not using them and they’re accumulating in their trunks, they’re probably making a bigger carbon footprint,” he said.