MONTREAL -- A bylaw banning single-use plastic bags and cutlery in Laval, the third most populous city in Quebec, will come into effect on Thursday.
This means Laval merchants will no longer be able to offer, sell, distribute or make these items available.
There are exceptions to the rule: plastic bags used for hygiene or bulk purposes, those for dry cleaning or industrial processing and prepackaged products are not prohibited from being distributed.
In addition, the regulation also bans restaurants and foodservice establishments from giving out single-use cutlery.
The main objectives of the bylaw are to reduce waste and promote reusable items, sustainable development, environmental protection and resource conservation.
The City of Laval reports that between 1.4 and 2.7 billion shopping bags -- primarily plastic -- are currently distributed in Quebec each year and only 14 per cent of them are ever recovered.
Plastic bags have a major impact on the environment, including on numerous ecosystems, and can take up to 1,000 years to degrade.
Plus, their production requires petroleum and water and generates greenhouse gases.
Several other municipalities in the Greater Montreal area have also taken the initiative to ban single-use plastic items.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 3, 2021.
