The plastic bags will be banned in Montreal

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QMI agency

Friday, December 15, 2017 13:17

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Friday, December 15, 2017 13:17

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MONTREAL – The era of plastic bags will soon be gone to Montreal, so that we will encourage the traders, from the 1st of next January to do more back to their customers.

The City of Montreal will allow, however, for businesses to use the plastic bags until June 5, 2018, the time to sell their stocks.

The banning of plastic bags “will be used (then) to all the establishments whose main activity consists of selling of goods at retail” has told on Friday, by issuing a press release.

The bags of thickness less than 50 microns, and the bags containing an oxidizing agent (oxodégradables, oxofragmentables and biodegradable) will also be banned, “regardless of their thickness”.

Only “small plastic bags” used to pack the fruits and vegetables as well as drugs will be tolerated. Same thing for the garment bags used by cleaners, while restaurants will not be subject to the new rules.

“The abandonment of bags of lightweight plastic in the environment is an issue of major global concern to all. In Quebec, only 14% of plastic shopping bags, single-use are recovered, it is too little” stressed “, said Jean-François Parenteau, head of the environment within the executive committee of the City of Montreal.

“Like other cities, he added. Montreal is committed to the reduction at the source and thus joined a global movement aimed at protecting the environment and combating climate change. More and more citizens are already using, in priority to reusable bags for their shopping.”

Until June 5,

Even if the ban comes into force at the same time as the arrival of the new year, merchants will be able to take their plastic bags in stock until June 5, deadline to comply with the new regulation. The date is symbolic because it is the world environment Day.

Fines will be imposed only at the end of this period of transition.

“Montreal wants to before anything else build on the awareness-raising and information. We want merchants to have some time to adjust to the new regulations and sell their inventory of bags,” said Jean-François Parenteau.

The City recommends citizens to take the earliest possible new ways to carry their shopping up to the house.

It suggests, in particular, use containers and reusable bags, but also to ban all single use product and recycling the plastic bags by featuring “package rather than in a jumble in the box”.