Skip to content

Yorkton currently not looking at plastic bag ban

Prince Albert Council takes that decision Monday
landfill
A plastic bag ban could end the flow into the landfill.

Prince Albert is believed to be the first municipality in the province to have banned plastic checkout bags

Prince Albert city council passed a bylaw unanimously at a meeting Monday to ban plastic bags effective Aug.1.

Businesses or restaurants found distributing or selling plastic bags after that could face fines of up to $1,000, although stores will still be able to sell packages of bags for food storage and garbage, according to a recent CP story.

The plastic bag ban however, is not likely to be considered by Yorkton Council anytime soon.

While the idea has been “spit-balled” by Yorkton’s Environmental Committee, but has not progressed farther, said Yorkton Councillor Aaron Kienle, one of two Councillors on the committee.

Coun. Darcy Zaharia sits on the committee too.

“We discuss all kinds of environmental issues and the various impacts on our community. We discuss the 3 R's all the time - reduce, reuse and recycle. I would have no issues with this type of ban in Yorkton - there would be many benefits from it,” he told Yorkton This Week, adding “this is just my view point though not the City of Yorkton’s or the Environmental Committee I’m just one voice.”

But the numbers are staggering.

“Overall it would reduce consumption of non-renewable resources. Canada wide we use about 15 billion bags a year,” said Zaharia.

Kienle said the idea of ending the use of plastic bags has merit calling the idea “a positive cultural shift,” the idea might be ahead of its time locally.

“There would likely be push back,” said Kienle, adding the resistance would likely come from both business and the public.

As it stands Kienle said as a business owner he sees opportunities for individual stores to do positive things in terms of using less plastic bags, from encouraging reusable bags, to recycling existing bags, and that sort of effort can be encouraged in some novel ways.

Zaharia recognizes that too.

“Lots of people re-use these bags which is fantastic, however, many don't,” he said. “Those bags end up in landfill or littered on the streets or can end up in our sewers which helps contribute to flooding issues. If that happens it directly affects the residents as the cities then have to clean out the storm drains - that could contribute to increase in taxes.

“Plastic bags aren't free either - the stores work that price into your groceries if they don't charge you separately for the bags.”

That brings up the idea of a ban.

“It's a start anyways - maybe it would help enforce the use of re-usable shopping bags and get people thinking more about the three-Rs,” he said.

But, at present the committee, and the City are taking a ‘wait-and-see’ stance on the issue.

“We’ll wait-and-see’ how it goes in Prince Albert,” said Kienle, adding the federal government has announced last June they would be announcing a ban on some material in 2021, so it makes sense to see what direction that will go as well.