A group in Banff is once again calling for a ban on single-use plastic bags in the mountain town.
The group, Bear Minimum, presented its proposal to town council on Monday and have created a blanket made from plastic bags to raise awareness.
“We have made a quilt out of plastic bags, this was from a collection of bags within 30 minutes just walking the street and it’s going to last 1000 years,” said Emma Murrell-Orgill, founder of Bear Minimum.
Formed in 2017, the group says it wants to see a ban in place by August.
“Banning plastic bags is really important to our wildlife and it also sets an example to everyone who comes through Banff,” said Murrell-Orgill.
The group is hopeful the proposal will follow initiatives from other cities like Victoria.
If successful, it would mark the first ban on single-use plastics in a national park.
The Town of Banff has an aggressive waste reduction plan and has a waste diversion target of 70 per cent by the year 2028.
The federal government announced earlier this month it is looking at banning single-use plastics by 2021 while also requiring plastics manufacturers and companies using plastic packaging to be responsible for the collection and recycling of the materials.
(With files from Todd McDermott)
