Tofino, British Columbia, a small tourist town known for whale watching and other activities, has passed a ban on plastic bags, although it is asking residents and businesses to comply voluntarily.
The district council voted 6-1 to ban "petrochemical-based, single-use plastic bags," according to this report from westcoaster.ca, an independent online newspaper in Tofino.
“We’re hoping people will effectively switch to compostable bags,” said [councillor Derek] Shaw, who proposed the idea. “At this point, the ban is effectively sending a message to the community.”
Council has set no timeline for implementation.
The number of bags saved in Tofino would be small, but some tourists may carry away the village's message back to their hometowns after a visit. Unless bag makers can drum up some grass roots support for their product, it's going to be difficult to fight bans in every green-minded city and town in the world.
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