Montreal looks to ban plastic water bottles in city buildings

Now that single-use plastic bags have been banned in Montreal, city hall is setting its sights on getting rid of other kinds of plastic, too.

Next week, Ensemble Montréal, the opposition party, will table a motion to ban the sale of 500-millilitre water bottles during city events and at city buildings.

"We want Montreal to set an example," said city councillor Francesco Miele.

The proposal wouldn't apply to water bottles handed out in emergency situations.

Without getting into specifics, Valérie Plante's administration confirmed the city is looking into the issue, and may go even further than what the opposition proposed.

The city is looking to develop a broader policy that would reduce its ecological footprint, a project that may soon be put to industry stakeholders, business owners and citizens, according to Radio-Canada sources.

Plastic straws may be one of the items in the crosshairs — Vancouver banned them last week, and they are also verboten in London.

Former mayor Denis Coderre floated the idea of banning plastic bottles in 2016, without establishing a firm plan or timeline.

Miele's motion also references the city's largest recycling plant, which was hit hard by China's decision last year to impose a wide-ranging ban on imported waste.

Montreal will spend up to $30 million to keep it open and avoid having recyclable materials end up in the dump. The opposition says more than 700 million plastic bottles end up in Quebec landfill sites every year.