Only paper or reusable bags will be offered at Nanaimo retailers starting July 1. (The Canadian Press)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

bagged

Province approves Nanaimo’s single-use plastic bags ban

Feb 12, 2021 | 2:38 PM

NANAIMO — The typical grocery bag will soon be outlawed in Nanaimo.

The City received provincial approval on Friday, Feb. 12 in its effort to eliminate the use of single-use plastic bags, including biodegradable and compostable bags which many retailers have recently started using.

Taaj Daliran, manager of sanitation and recycling with the City, told NanaimoNewsNOW he expects both consumers and merchants will be on board with the ban.

“Some of the bigger chain stores were asking us to implement soon since they’d already started. The sooner it happens, the easier it is for businesses and it’s less confusing for the public.”

Nanaimo was one of four B.C. cities to receive provincial approval on Friday, joining five others which have already implemented plastic bans.

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Paper bags, which must be 40 per cent post-consumer recycled, will be offered at 15 cents with reusable bags sold for $1 at Nanaimo retailers. The price increases to 25 cents for a paper bag and $2 for a reusable bag in 2022.

Exemptions include bags for bulk food and produce, multi-packs of plastic bags and small paper bags.

Daliran said the ban is a significant step forward in generating conversations about environmentalism and educating residents about what they’re buying.

“Eventually it will become a habit to think about not just purchasing the materials we’re consuming but also the end-life of the material. By putting this bylaw in place, it would be another reminder of the importance of protecting the environment.”

The plastic ban bylaw was previously given three readings and will return to Nanaimo city council for final approval.

Daliran said they anticipate the bylaw coming into effect on July 1 after an awareness campaign, but the date may be pushed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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