Medicine Hat Plan to Reduce Plastic Bag Consumption

The City of Medicine Hat has decided to move forward with a proposal from the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) to help reduce the number of plastic bags ending up in the landfill.

The group conducted a survey of 650 residents and found that a majority of the respondents would support some kind of plan to reduce plastic bag consumption.

The results revealed 77% of people forget to take their plastic or reusable bags when they go shopping.

As a result of the survey, the Youth Advisory Board recommended the city look at creating an app to remind people to take their bags with them when they go shopping.

“It would be awesome if it had the GPS tracking so that when you’re close to a grocery store and it pops up saying ‘Hey, grab your reusable bags’, just that type of reminder would be really nice.” said YAB Board Chair Rebecca Hirsch.

Councillor Julie Friesen says city staff will now look into creating some kind of reminder system for residents.

“We already have a platform in place with waste management that can be quite easily adapted or added to, to be able to do the thing they’ve asked for.” said Friesen.

The board also recommended sending out notices to homeowners reminding them where they can recycle plastic bags. The YAB said the City should consult with local businesses too about encouraging the use of reusable bags.

Source: CHAT Television

•