Sioux Lookout Nears Plastic Bag Ban

Author J. Hazard. Used by permission. Click photo for Creative Commons License

The City of Sioux Lookout, located in north-west Ontario, Canada, is working toward passage of By-Law No. 20-10. This proposed By-Law is to prohibit the sale or free distribution of plastic bags within the Municipality of Sioux Lookout. The Council passed the Second Reading of the By-Law at its latest Council Meeting.

The proposed By-Law states many reasons why the city wants this By-Law enacted:

• Plastic bags represent a large portion of the waste stream going into the Hidden Bay Landfill Site
• Plastic bags are also found as litter on Municipal streets and other locations within the Municipality
• Plastic bags do not degrade significantly over time
• The reduction in the distribution and use of plastic bags has a number of environmental and financial benefits for the Municipality including extending the life of the Hidden Bay Landfill Site and decreasing the amount of litter found throughout the Municipality

Expected to be on the agenda at the regular Council meeting scheduled for Sept. 15, 2010,  if By-Law 20-10 is enacted, Sioux Lookout would be the first city in Ontario to ban plastic bag sales and distribution.  The Council is asking for citizen input at any time on Wednesday, August 18.  For more information, visit Sioux Lookout website.

Sioux Lookout, known as the “Hub of the North”, is also called ‘Sunset Country”.  It is a favorite tourist destination for Americans in the summer because of the numerous lakes, rivers and camps in the area.  Sioux Lookout’s airport is the fourth busiest in Ontario.

See Other Cities in Canada with Plastic Bag Bans