Saint John Takes Next Step Toward Plastic Bag Ban
SAINT JOHN – City staff will draft a bylaw that would outlaw plastic bags in Saint John by next summer.
The bylaw closely follows a motion recommended by the Fundy Regional Service Commission for regional municipalities to ban the bags by June 30, 2021.
Councillor David Hickey tabled the motion, which he believes is part of the city remaining at the forefront of the fight against climate change.
“It puts us that much closer on that track of banning single-use plastics as a whole community, and as a preparation for what the federal government will be bringing forward by the end of 2021,” Hickey said.
Last week, the Fundy Regional Service Commission, in conjunction with the Saint John Chamber of Commerce, released a survey saying 75 percent of businesses in the region supported banning plastic bags.
RELATED: Chamber Survey Shows Saint John Region Businesses Support Plastic Bag Ban
“We’re a community that wants to be at the forefront of decisions like this, that wants to be a green community, that wants to commit to fighting climate change firsthand, and dealing with our excessive waste,” Hickey said at Monday’s meeting.
Moncton and its surrounding municipalities enacted a similar ban on plastic bags beginning October 1.
Ben Burnett is a reporter with Country 94/97.3 The Wave, Huddle content partners.