The City of Montreal has passed a bylaw that will prevent stores from selling single-use plastic bags on its territory, cementing a recommendation from the city's environmental committee. The bylaw, passed Tuesday and in effect starting Jan. 1, 2018, applies to lightweight plastic shopping bags, specifically ones that are less than 50 microns (or 0.05 millimetres) thick. Certain bags, such as small plastic bags used for fresh vegetables or medication, will not be banned for hygienic reasons. The group is demanding a moratorium on the application of the bylaw until a report on plastic bags is released by the provincial environment ministry and Recyc-Québec. Montreal joins Deux-Montagnes, Huntingdon and Brossard in the list of Quebec municipalities who have moved to ban plastic bags.

Source: CBC News August 24, 2016 11:56 UTC