Plastic bags are back! The first blog I ever submitted to @wiawesome was all about the evils of single use plastic bags. The council of the day had just decided against a municipal ban on plastic and in response I decided I should personally ban them and so I announced the Crompton Ban… ineffectual as it was. Instead of me giving a review of a previous @wiawesome blog, read it if you like at Ban On Bags. The RMOW did implement an education effort but unfortunately we have only been able to deliver a 1% per yr reduction in single use plastic bag use.

Since then some things have changed. China, Bangladesh, Italy, Seattle, Hawaii, Aspen, Telluride and many others have banned single use plastic bags. Toronto tried to ban plastic bags but was prevented from doing so by a legal injunction based on a lack of public engagement. In British Columbia it has become evident that plastic bag bans are the jurisdiction of the provincial government. The jurisdiction issue has led Vancouver to take wait and see position waiting for the province to act. It is disappointing to me that Canada’s two biggest cities have tried to address the plastic bag issue to no avail.

Although much has changed, I did not expect the opportunity to reconsider plastic bag use again. But 3 months ago two grade six students from Spring Creek School approached our Mayor and asked for her to ban plastic bags. So if Toronto and Vancouver have failed what can Whistler do? I hope something. There is some thought the RMOW could “regulate” bags if we can’t ban them. I am looking forward to taking a crack… I just don’t see a downside to trying. Plastic bags still cost us lots of money, they pollute Whistler and the world. I hope we follow Aspen, CO and China’s lead. I’ll let you know how it goes.