Canada Moving Beyond the Bag

This is a summary of what's going on in Canada these days:

Apr 28 2007
Age of plastic belongs in the past
Mitch Wright, Nanaimo News Bulletin, Vancouver Island, Canada

Paper or plastic? How about neither!
Few shoppers still choose the once-ubiquitous brown paper grocery bags, opting instead to save a tree or two by choosing their now even more prevalent plastic counterparts. But there’s a growing movement afoot to outlaw the non-biodegradable polythylene bags...

Leaf Rapids beats San Francisco

The little Canadian town of Leaf Rapids beat San Francisco to be the first town in North America to ban plastic bags:

Apr 2, 2007
Tiny Canadian town enacts ban on plastic bags
By Patricia Launt, Reuters, Toronto

A small Canadian town claimed the honor on Monday of being the first municipality in North America to ban retailers from using plastic bags, in an effort to maintain its pristine environment. The town's administrator said Leaf Rapids, a northern Manitoba mining town about 975 km (610 miles) northwest of Winnipeg, has ordered retailers to stop giving away or selling single-use plastic bags as of Monday. Stores that break the law face a C$1,000 ($865) fine....

Fewer Bags = Money Saving in Canada

Storeowner says ban will save him money:

April 18, 2007
Fewer grocery bags would mean big savings: storeowner
SHERRY MARTELL The News, Nova Scotia, Canada

A North Shore grocer wants more people to shop with reusable, environmentally friendly bags.Mike Belliveau, owner of Mike’s Foodland in Tatamagouche, said reducing disposable bag use would benefit both businesses and the environment.“We have a number of customers bringing their own bags here but we would like to see more, it would be a big benefit because we don’t want to be using them (disposable bags) either.”He said recycling is a struggle and his refuse disposal costs have increased to about $12,000 annually...

More Zero-waste in Toronto

Inspired by the Toronto couple Sarah McGaughey and Kyle Glover, this writer is going for zero waste too:

January 31, 2007
Trying to achieve zero-waste goal is hard work
Kris Scheuer, Toronto Town Crier Newspapers, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

What if the city's garbage trucks pulled up to our houses and found all the trash cans empty? ...

Another Opinion

This opinion piece argues that a plastax won't work for business, consumers or the environment. I have to say, it makes a good point about the increase in plastic use in Ireland, where, despite the fewer lightweight bags used since the plastax, there has been an increase in heavier bag use which use more resin. I have doubts about some of his statistics, and he doesn't take into account the CO2 emmisions and fossil fuel use of recycling vs. reusing. He puts a lot of faith in "take-back" (retailer based recycling) programs:

Jan 19, 2007
Taxing plastic shopping bags is not the answer
Serge Lavoie, Toronto Star, Toronto, Canada

Plastic shopping bags must not become the whipping boy for the garbage woesof the City of Toronto. In his drive to divert 70 per cent of Toronto'ssolid waste from landfill by 2010, the new chair of Toronto's public worksand infrastructure committee has declared war on plastic grocery bags. Hehas stated his intention to tax them out of existence.War it may be, but it's a phony war and the loser will be consumers,retailers, the City of Toronto and even the environment....

Plastic Free Year in Vancouver

This lady rocks! She is making 2007 a plastic free zone - not buying products that contain or are packaged in plastic. Sounds simple? What about toothpaste (the cap), toilet paper (wrapped in plastic), the morning paper (rainy day protection)... She's blogging about her adventures in the no-plastic zone:

January 31, 2007
Progress Report

Plastic Free, Vancouver, Canada

I’ve finished my first month living plastic free in 2007. Wow, what a difference a New Year's resolution can make. Check out this picture of my plastic shrine...

Toronto debating ban

January 18, 2007
Should plastic bags be sacked?
John Spears, Jim Byers, Toronto Star, Toronto

Toronto councillors appear split on the idea of banning plastic shopping bags as a way of cutting down on the city's garbage. But they're all in favour of having them recycled...

Living Garbage Free

I posted a story about this couple last week. They are endeavoring to live completely garbage-free in Toronto. This is their blog so you can follow their inspiring story directly:

January 22nd, 2007
Grey Areas
No More Garbage Blog

We’re in Montreal!!! Our hosts (friends) are doing so much to ensure that we can do no garbage at their house. It’s very sweet. I feel like the most difficult house guest in the world. We will take compost home with us, unless we can find someone in Montreal who has a backyard composter. If you live in Montreal and have one, please contact me!...

Skiers and Global Warming

Skier Sheila Kealy writes from an athlete's point of view about personal actions, including various ways to limit waste:

January 14, 2007
Can your eating habits affect global warming?
By Sheila Kealey, Sheila's Nutrition Digest, Ottowa, Canada

The weather this winter has heightened our awareness about global warming. With little snow, compromised recreation and training, and the cancellation of many World Cup cross country and downhill events, winter athletes are taking notice, worried about their sport and the future of our environment...

More from Canada

January 12, 2007
Toronto councillor wants to eliminate plastic bags
Jamie Pulfer, 680 All News Radio, Toronto, Canada

The plastic grocery bag may soon soon be on Toronto's endangered list.
Currently we use on average four bags a week in Ontario, which means that 2.5 billion bags end up in the trash every year...

Jan 13, 2007
Tax On Plastic Bags called for by City of Toronto Councillor
Digital Journal, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

A City of Toronto Councillor wants to follow in the steps of Countries or Cities such as Australia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Eritrea, Ireland, Italy, Paris, Mumbai, India, South Africa,Taiwan, Tanzania where they have either banned the bags or instituted taxes on them, use has fallen from 69-90 percent...

Call for Levy in Toronto City Council

January 12, 2007
City Councillor Calls For Tax On Plastic Bags
City News, Toronto, Canada

Some use them to tote their groceries, their lunch, or to line kitchen garbage bins and our dependence on plastic bags has prompted one city councillor to call for a levy on the disposable items...

Canadian Quits Plastic Bags

A Toronto blogger shares his story about quitting plastic bags:

January 12, 2007
City Waste: Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
Kevin in City, Fresh Daily Blog, Toronto, Canada

The Toronto Star is reporting today about the City's plan to divert 70% of household waste from the dump by 2010. According to the article, 2.5 billion plastic grocery bags are consumed in the province each year, at a rate of 4 bags per person per week. They can't be recycled right now, and even though there are plans to introduce plastic bag recycling next year, there are no solid plans in place. When I moved into my current apartment, I quickly accumulated a hoard of plastic bags from buying groceries and housewares. It got to the point where I was trying to find bigger bags to put all the smaller bags in...

Zero garbage? Can do

A Toronto couple is striving for an empty trash bin this year. One way they do it is to wash and reuse each plastic bag until it begins to deteriorate (which takes about three months):

1/6/07
Zero garbage? Can do
DALE DUNCAN, Special to The Globe and Mail, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Sarah McGaughey loves to talk trash. While the rest of us try to go to the gym more often, her resolution for 2007 is to make absolutely no household waste -- and she and her husband, Kyle Glover, might just pull it off.
In 2005, the couple produced one garbage bag of trash. In 2006, they took one grocery bag to the curb every two weeks. But this year, the committed environmentalists are striving for zero...

Consciousness Raising in Ontario

Dec 29, 2006
The true cost of disposable bags
Laurie Nielsen, Ancaster News, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada

Ah...the plastic bag. While they are found everywhere these days, there was a time when they were more difficult to find. Today they're found in the streets, tree branches and streams - in every corner of this planet.

Pay Per Bag at Farmers Market

A vendor at a Vancouver Farmers Market is charging a per-bag fee to encourage the use of reusables:

July 2006
The Plas Tax: A Tax with an Environmental Conscience
By Vicki Baker, Coquitlam Farmers Market (originally published in "The Cream of the Crop", CFMS newsletter June 4, 2006)

You may have noticed that one of our vendors is now charging a small fee for plastic bags. This vendor was motivated by a similar initiative by the Government of Ireland which in 2002, began charging consumers a 15 cent levy on each plastic bag used at the checkout counter: the "Plas Tax", as it's come to be known...

It's in the bag Canada

Eco-geek to eco-chic: It's in the bag

Nov. 29, 2006
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/2006/11/29/2545012-sun.html
ROBYN STUBBS, 24 HOURS, Vancouver, Canada

How many plastic bags are hiding under your kitchen sink?
According to the Greater Vancouver Regional District, Canadians take home 55 million plastic bags every week.
Most of those bags end up as litter or in landfills...

Think

Think before using another plastic bag

Nov 24, 2006
http://www.stoneycreeknews.com/scn/viewpoint/viewpoint_666496.html
Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada

Ah... the plastic bag. While they are found everywhere these days, there was a time when they were more difficult to find.
Today they're found in the streets, tree branches and streams - in every corner of this planet. Around landfills they come loose from the other waste, become airborne and fly onto the neighbouring lands. Worldwide, stray plastic bags present problems when they clog sewer drains or endanger animal life.
Maharashtra, India has moved to ban all plastic bags after storm drains became blocked by bags and caused widespread flooding resulting in more than 1,000 deaths.
Many nations are implementing various levels of bans...

Bags Valuable for Making Lumber

There are more markets for recycled materials from bags. The plastic lumber market is growing:

Plastic bags 'valuable'

November 15, 2006
http://winnipegsun.com/Business/2006/11/15/2364327-sun.html
By ROSS ROMANIUK, STAFF REPORTER Winnipeg Sun, Mannitoba, Canada

One man's trash is an industry's treasure -- or at least a valuable and reusable tool. That message comes from an industry group as it urges Winnipeg residents to return plastic shopping bags, or reuse or recycle them, rather than toss them out....