A bylaw has been created in the city of Wetaskiwin that officials are saying is long overdue.

City Manager Dave Burgess says the plastic bag ban is one that council members have been pushing for quite some time and isn’t just because of the recent viral complaints of plastic waste on social media.

“This year with having total support of all council members they decided that now was the time to move forward with this and really push for sustainability and it was well before the stuff about plastic straws and what they are doing with our environment.”

The plastic bag ban will come into effect locally on July 9, 2019 and includes:

  • plastic produce bags
  • plastic bags to contain fresh meat or fish products
  • plastic bags used to contain bulk food items or bulk hardware items
  • plastic bags used to contain freshly prepared bakery items or other food items
  • plastic bags used for wrapping flowers or potted plants
  • dry-cleaning bags or other professional laundering bags
  • plastic bags used to contain dirty, greasy, or hazardous products or materials

In 2020 stores will have to charge a minimum of $0.15 per single use paper checkout bag.

This includes all single-use plastic checkout bags thinner than 2.0 mils thick. It will apply to any location where goods are offered for sale, including grocery stores, retail stores, farmers' markets, fast food or restaurants.

“It’s encouraging people to bring back their reusable bag to use over and over again.”

Burgess says they hope that their initiative will encourage other communities to push for sustainability as well.

“It’s something you just have to get used to and I think after the initial shock of it, it just becomes a part of life so I think most people can get on board with this.”