Key things to know about Montreal's possible plastic bag ban

If the city follows through on recommendations made by its environmental committee, Montreal could become the first metropolis in Canada to ban plastic bags. 

• Montreal urged to ban plastic bags by 2018
• Montreal merchants say no to banning plastic bags

Here are some key things to know, based on the committee's recommendations and what's happened in other cities.

What a ban would do

The committee recommended the city ban the use of plastic bags by Earth Day in 2018 in favour of reusable or recyclable bags.

The committee suggested the city work with the Quebec government to establish industrial norms to ensure new bags are recyclable.

It recommended exceptions be made for hygienic bags used to handle certain foods, carry medication and dry cleaning.

Next steps

Montreal would need to adopt the recommendations and introduce a bylaw. 

The idea to ban single-use plastic bags was first put forward by Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre a year ago. At the time, he said he was in favour of them.

"Personally, I think we should ban them...but we have to consult properly so that all players in society can contribute fully," Coderre said.

The case for a ban

Environmental groups say plastic bags have been a vexing source of pollution. Because they don't easily decompose, they end up littering parks, rivers, beaches and oceans. 

Plastic debris can accumulate in the ocean and ends up in the bellies of fish and other marine life, environmentalists say.

The use of plastic bags has fallen dramatically in Quebec due to public awareness campaigns as well as a five-cent charge brought in by retailers.

Plastic bag use in Quebec dropped from 2.2 billion in 2007 to around 1 billion in 2010, according to Recyc-Québec.

Business group opposed

The recommendations for Montreal were criticized by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which represents small and mid-sized companies.

The group said a ban could cause consumers to buy less or nothing at all if they don't happen to have a bag on them.

However, one local store manager says she isn't worried.

Lucy De Santis of Supermarché PA said many customers have already made the switch.

"We use a lot more of our own reusable bags that people have a habit of buying and constantly reusing," she said.

Who else bans bags

Plastic bags are already banned in some smaller Quebec municipalities, namely Huntingdon and Deux-Montagnes.

In Canada, Leaf Rapids, Man., became the first municipality to prohibit single-use plastic shopping bags.

In the United States, momentum has been picking up in recent years for plastic bag bans in coastal communities and large cities across the U.S, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Austin and Seattle.

On Wednesday, the mayor took to Twitter to ask whether the city should go ahead with a plastic bag ban.

Weigh in on the issue in our own poll below.