Bag Ban comes into effect Oct. 1, 2020

September 2, 2020

St. John’s, NL – Newfoundland and Labrador is on track to ban the distribution of single-use plastic bags, one of the most pervasive sources of pollution, on October 1, 2020.

Municipalities across the province have increased their efforts to limit the distribution of plastic bags, a source of pollution that ends up in landfills and makes its way into parks and along trails. MNL President Sheila Fitzgerald applauds the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Municipalities announcement that the ban is back on track and is a critical step in improving our waste management system.

“This is a win for the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador. MNL advocated on this issue for years, and we are beyond thrilled to see our efforts come to fruition”, said Fitzgerald.

MNL members voted at their AGM in 2015 and 2017 in favour of a provincial ban on single-use plastic bags. In 2019, the ban became official with an implementation date of July 1. Because of COVID-19, the ban date was pushed to October 1.

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Health Canada has not limited the use of reusable bags due to COVID-19, and recommends to bring clean reusable bags when shopping. www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-safety/covid19.html

Read the Provincial Government’s release here.