Plastic Bags banned on PEI as of July 1 (submitted)
Prince Edward Island has become the first province to official ban single-use plastic bags by retailers.
Retailers now have to give customers their purchases in either a paper or polypropylene bag.
Jim Cormier is with the Retail Council of Canada and says the ban has been handled well.
“People have had a year to get rid of their existing stock of plastic bags, so far so good, our members are ready and obviously we are going to everything we can to create a positive customer experience,” stated Cormier.
It started on Canada day and many environmentalists are wondering when others will follow suit.
Cormier says there are at least 48 municipalities looking to have similar bans, including a few in New Brunswick but the council prefers a more uninformed approach.
“That is a bit scary for us we’ve talked to the province we would like to see provincial action so that if we were sitting at the table with them to develop legislation that it would be the same rules from Edmunston all the way down to Sackville and everywhere in between,” stated Cormier.
