P.E.I. passes bill banning single-use plastic bags at retail stores
CHARLOTTETOWN — Prince Edward Island could be the first province in Canada to ban retailers from giving out plastic bags after a private member’s bill passed third reading Friday morning.
The Plastic Bag Reduction Act, introduced by Liberal member of the legislature Allen Roach, would eventually prohibit retailers from providing customers with single-use plastic bags, encouraging them instead to sell paper or reusable cloth bags.
“The purpose of this Act is to reduce the use by businesses of single-use checkout bags, to reduce waste and environmental damage and to promote responsible and sustainable business practices in Prince Edward Island,” the bill reads.
The change would come in phases, with retailers beginning to charge customers 15 cents per plastic bag on July 1. The fee would increase to 25 cents in July 2019, before becoming an outright ban in January 2020, after which businesses could face fines for giving away plastic bags.