By Derek Cornet

Petition aims to end free plastic bag distribution in La Ronge

Jun 1, 2018 | 5:00 PM

A new group called Unplastic La Ronge wants businesses to start charging for plastic shopping bags.

“Fifty cents would be reasonable, but I wouldn’t say that’s where we’re going as a group,” Co-founder Autumn Carlson said. “We’re looking for ways we can progressively move towards less plastic bag use.”

The idea started in a Facebook Messenger conversation with her friend, Angela Plunz. Carlson said the two discussed ways they personally decrease their single-use plastic consumption, and realizing the information they were sharing would be valuable to others wanting to do the same, they launched a Facebook group to spread the word. Nearly 400 people have already joined Unplastic La Ronge through social media network.

With a petition circulating to pressure businesses to start charging for bags and to end Styrofoam usage, Carlson also urged residents to ask store owners and managers to train employees to offer cardboard boxes instead. She said it would be ideal for stores to get to the point where they don’t offer plastic bags at all, and instead sell papers ones

“We don’t want to rely heavily on paper either, but compared to plastic it’s a better alternative,” Carlson said. “We’re looking to share some ideas about decreasing our single-use plastics consumption in the community, and start some surveys and petitions to see where people are at.”

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Other ways Carlson recommended residents can cut down on plastic are by purchasing reusable bags, using small netted or cloth bags for produce, using re-usable metal straws, carrying coffee mugs and water bottles, asking for boxes to pack groceries and avoiding Styrofoam at all costs. Considering countries like China are accepting less and less recycled plastics, she said residents should be warier about what they use.

“We’re lucky, in town they do take plastic as a recyclable product, but only if those things can be accrued in a large enough bundle of similar plastics,” Carlson said. “Reduction is the only way forward. Everywhere else is banning the bag and really, when it comes down to it, China is not going to keep taking it forever.”

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno