Group calls on city to take action on plastic bags

They can be seen everywhere, hanging from branches, rolling along on roads, sitting on lawns or floating on water.

And one organization, Waste Free Edmonton, hopes to put an end on it.

“We want the city to take significant measures to reduce the amount of (single use) plastic bags that are entering the system,” said Melissa Gorrie, spokeswoman for Waste Free Edmonton. “That could potentially be through a ban or it could be through a surcharge but the bottom line is we want some sort of bylaw to be implemented.”

She said the organization wants to work with the city and others to discuss the best way forward and the best option.

To show how pervasive plastic pollution is, the Bag Monster will make an appearance at the Old Strathcona Farmers Market on Saturday at noon. And, in honour of Mother’s Day weekend, the Bag Monster will be accompanied by the Bag Baby.

The Bag Monster is a visual representation of the number of bags each person uses in a year, a news release said. The Bag Baby symbolizes the plastic pollution problem being inherited by future generations.

According to the B.C. city of Victoria’s website, a Victoria resident uses approximately 200 bags every year, which would equate to 17 million plastic bags. Starting July 1, businesses in Victoria cannot provide customers with singleuse plastic checkout bags.

Gorrie said plastic bags simply end up everywhere.

“Plastic does not disappear,” she said.

A bylaw that would either ban or put a surcharge on plastic bags would be symbolic, Gorrie said.