Town puts 3¢ levy on plastic bags

In an effort to fight pollution, the northern Manitoba town of Leaf Rapids began charginga3¢ levy Friday on every plastic shopping bag given out bylocal merchants.

"The bylaw is an initiative to reduce the amount of plastic shopping bags that's in our landfill, in our trees, around town," said Leaf Rapids administrator Bond Ryan.

Ryan said the bylaw is based on a similar one that exists in Dublin, Ireland.

"I took it off the internet," he explained. "I couldn't find [similar bylaws] anywhere in Canada, so we're probably the only one in Manitoba for sure to have this bylaw, so far."

Ryan said the town will offer cloth shopping bags free of charge to residents.

While customers will pay more to have their goods bagged in plastic, the town will buy back theplastic bags from residents for1¢ apiece, or 50¢ for a bag of bags.

Each year, Leaf Rapids usuallyhires four people for three weeks — at a cost of$5,000 — to clean upbags that would otherwise blow out ofthe landfill.