Montreal plastic bag ban a transition for some, old news for others

"I see all kinds of reusable bags, as much as there are people who have none," said Meg-Ann Treujou, who works at a produce stand at the Atwater Market.

The plastic bag ban for Montreal businesses came into effect on Tuesday, but for some, the transition to reusable items began long ago.

“At least two years,” said Sophie Grumberg, the manager of Pure Horticulture, a produce stand at the Atwater Market. It offers clients either cloth or paper bags, which Grumberg said has been the case the entire time she’s worked there.

“Before, I don’t know, there might have been plastic bags, but it’s been a while,” she said. “I know our owners are very much for reducing waste, reducing plastic. We try to have the least amount of packaged items.”

On Tuesday morning, a few stands over from Pure Horticulture, André Lafrance was purchasing fruits and vegetables from another vendor, reusable bag in hand. He said he’s been using his own bags for more than a decade — and that he thinks the city should have acted earlier.

“If they really want to take plastic out, they should have done that maybe 15 years ago,” he said.

The city’s new bylaw — first announced about a year ago — bans the distribution of plastic shopping bags in Montreal’s 19 boroughs. The ban was already in effect in grocery stores, but now applies to all businesses, including restaurants.

In a statement, Mayor Valérie Plante said the change “demonstrates our administration’s strong commitment to accelerating Montreal’s ecological transition and to embody an environmental leadership plan, locally and internationally.”

Borough inspectors will make sure the bylaw is applied, with fines ranging from $200 to $1,000 for a first infraction and $300 to $2,000 for subsequent ones.

Grumberg said she hopes the bylaw will be enforced.

“Reducing plastic, reusing bags … we have to do this,” she said. “It’s not even a question anymore.”

At Les Douceurs du Marché, a small grocery store inside the market, employee Carlos Navarro said he estimates about 80 per cent of customers bring in their own bags already. The store also sells reusable mesh bags for produce and Marchés publics de Montréal tote bags, both of which he said sell well.

“I think we’re one of the best sellers (of the Marchés publics bags),” Navarro said. “We sell about 100 bags every two to three weeks. … I used to order them by the dozen, but now I take cases of 75 because that’s not enough.”

The store placed its final order of plastic bags in August, and ran out before the ban came into effect, Navarro said.

“We said if we arrive at the date, that’s fine, but if we’re in advance? Even better.”

The city has said there will be a grace period for businesses to get rid of their stock, which will be helpful for Génération en Génération, another produce vendor at the market. On Tuesday, it had leftover plastic bags hanging behind the stand.

“I think this will be a moment for adapting,” said Meg-Ann Treujou, the owner’s daughter. “But I think we will end up adapting and finding a way to make it work. It’s better for the planet.”

At her stand, the ratio of plastic to reusable bags among her clients is about 50/50, Treujou said.

“I see all kinds of reusable bags, as much as there are people who have none,” she said. “We also give the option to take boxes, too, instead of paying for a bag for 25 cents.”

Treujou said she recommends people bring their own bags instead of opting for paper bags offered by vendors, to avoid them ripping when purchasing heavy items.

For Megan Elias and Michelle Dunn, both of whom were shopping at the market Tuesday morning, the change is old news. In British Columbia, where they’re visiting from, a similar ban has been effect for a while.

“I have bags with me in my purse, or I have some in the back of my car. So I just grab those, walk in, use them, put them on the door handle after I empty them so I take them back to the car,” Dunn said.

kthomas@postmedia.com

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