City of Montreal mulling over plastic bag ban

The City of Montreal is considering banning retail stores from using plastic bags.

Mayor Denis Coderre told city council Wednesday he is in favour of banning the bags.

“We are concerned it’s a matter of an environmental issue,” said executive committee member Real Menard.

But one plastic industry advocate says it's up to consumers to recycle their bags properly.

“Once it goes to the proper site, companies that are plastic processors they reuse these plastic bags and they re-initiate them in a new life cycle,” said Pierre Fillion of the Quebec Federation of Plastics and Composites.

The petroleum-based sacks can take hundreds of years to biodegrade and have long been a thorn in the side of environmentalists.

“To ban the plastic bags, the grocery plastic bag, then it's a good thing for people to say okay now we have to change our mind to change our way of doing things,” said environmentalist Coralie Deny.

Canadians use an estimated 15 billion bags each year, and many are only used once.

But public awareness campaigns and a five-cent surcharge for plastic at most retailers has reduced the amount used across the province.

Six years ago, the town of Huntingdon was the first in Quebec to ban plastic bags.

And now everyone going to the grocery store is well equipped.

“Well I think it’s a good idea...it took a little bit of getting used to,” said one shopper.

The City of Montreal says it plans to hear all sides of the plastic bag debate during public consultations, slated to begin next year.