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2011-10-20 at 16:41

Sioux Lookout repeals plastic bag ban

tbnewswatch.com
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The town of Sioux Lookout has decided to repeal its controversial ban on plastic shopping bags. 

The ban was brought in by the previous council in Sioux Lookout as a way to reduce the high number of plastic bags going into the town's landfill. 

The law included fines ranging from $100 to $150 against business owners and anyone who distributes plastic bags. The law was in a one-year phase-in period during which only warnings were being given out.  

On Wednesday night a special meeting was held on the issue.  After discussions and presentations by the business community, Sioux Lookout council voted five-to-one to rescind the bylaw. 

Mayor Dennis Leney said he's pleased with the outcome, and added that the majority of the community was against the bag ban. 

He also said that his council plans to work with their citizens to promote recycling initiatives.     

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Comments

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tsb says:
I don't feel it is necessary to ban bags at this point. Most businesses charge for them these days. Those that don't offer incentives to use re-usable bags (like Quality Market's BYOB token programme).

I stopped using plastic bags when my apartment began filling with them. I stored them in a box under the sink, and eventually that cupboard overflowed and filled part of the kitchen. I decided enough was enough and started re-using bags and using my backpack to carry groceries home. That was in 2005. Try it yourself: Put all of the plastic bags you receive in a month in a box and see how they add up. You'd be surprised.

Plus, it is cheaper for businesses to not provide bags. A grocery store the size of Safeway on Court will spend about $30,000 a month on plastic bags. (They really do cost about 2 to 3 cents each.) If we reduce our consumption, stores can reduce their costs and prices for food will go down, or at least rise at a slower pace than they otherwise would have.
10/20/2011 9:13:46 PM
SadButTrue says:
Where does your math come for the $30,000 a month in plastic bags? Not to say reusing isn't good, I just can't see this as a real number. $30,000 a month in bags at 2cents each is 1.5 million bags per month from one store. That's on average 50,000 bags a day. If each person took home 10 bags per trip that would be 5000 customers a day or 208 people per hour going through the store and leaving with 10 bags a piece. Thats 3.5 people a minute, they have 10 aisles and usually only 3 of them open. I just can't see this as at all feasible.

This is an example of why I can't take peoples statements online as valid. Always seems someone is making up a number to make their point seem more valid.
10/21/2011 9:28:30 AM
sadiegirl says:
"This is an example of why I can't take peoples statements online as valid."

Welcome to the internet!
10/21/2011 2:13:03 PM
hardrawkin says:
I was using ny backpack as well until some mouthy being at Wal Mart informed me that it wasn't allowed in the store, so I reverted back to plastic.
Also around my part of town most people just bring stuff home in the shopping cart, the streets are littered with them.
10/21/2011 7:58:08 AM
tsb says:
It is allowed in the store if, over the course of several months, you repeatedly ask customer service to hold it for you. They will complain to the manager who will grant an exception to you or, in the case of Superstore, lift that silly rule completely.
10/22/2011 10:15:31 AM
Joey Joe Joe Jr. Shabadoo says:
Sounds about right...Council spends all this time & $$ on something, only to be rescinded 1 year later...
Yep, sounds like the same crap that happens here...
BTW:
Taking shopping carts off the stores' property should b just as bad as shoplifting! It is the exact same, yet peeps do it daily!
10/21/2011 10:36:04 AM
Dudebro says:
Its pretty sad when council votes something in, and another council votes it back out later. Kind of defeats the whole point. Its starting to happen all over the place.
Pretty soon they're going to start passing actual laws too and then changing it all down the road because of a wrong decision.
10/21/2011 2:17:49 PM
tbayguy009 says:
LOL .. this is typical these days.

People wanted to ban plastic shopping bags, and then they need to go buy kitchen catcher bags in a roll of 100. For .... garbage.

I use the store bags in all my waste baskets.

I wonder if that ban was sponsored by Glad.
10/21/2011 3:21:10 PM
Nitesky says:
Soo, you launder your backpack regularly or is the thing as disgustingly filthy as most reusable bags you see? You put your food in there? Really?
10/22/2011 9:04:09 AM
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