Quebec municipalities consider plastic bag bans

Two Quebec towns have tabled bans on single-use, non-biodegradable plastic bags. Amqui, a small town in the Gaspe Peninsula of just 6,400 people, recently announced its intention to become the first Quebec municipality to ban the bags.

The town’s mayor plans to introduce a bylaw, which is expected to be in place next year.

“There are something like 2.5 billion plastic bags circulating in Quebec every year, so I figure in our town we’re probably using about 400,000 a year,” said Amqui Mayor Gaetan Ruest in an interview with the Montreal Gazette.

Amqui is holding public consultations on the proposed bylaw until mid-February.

Huntingdon, Que., a small town near the New York state border, may beat Amqui to the punch. According to a separate report in the Gazette, a draft bylaw outlawing plastic bags was tabled last week. If passed, the new legislation could go into effect on Jan. 1, 2008.

According to Huntingdon mayor Stephane Gendron, any store found using plastic bags would be fined a minimum of $1,000.

These recent municipal announcements are in addition to news in September that Quebec’s environment minister is considering a 20 cent tax on plastic bags.