P.E.I. retailers preparing for plastic bag reduction deadline

The Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce is helping its members get ready for new rules for the kind of bags retailers can use on P.E.I.

When the Plastic Bag Reduction Act takes effect July 1, retailers will no longer be allowed to offer plastic checkout bags, and will have to charge a minimum of 15 cents for a paper bag and a dollar for a reusable one.

"There's still a lot of businesses that are very unclear in terms of what rules, what types of bags they can use, how much they have to charge, do they have to charge if they want to give them away?" said Kim Green of Kays Wholesalers, one of a handful of chamber members in a focus group that heard a presentation from the P.E.I. Department of Environment about what will be expected. 

Green said she got some answers at Monday's session, but added there is still lots of work to do before July 1. 

"In April we're having a big show and a lot of our stores are coming in," she said. "We'll introduce the options that they'll have moving forward after July 1." 

Could be a space issue

Kays plans to stock paper bags of all sizes including ones with handles, and different types of reusable bags. Green said she has already started cutting back Kays' plastic bag supply so her business is not left with a surplus. 

She said she is a little concerned that because paper and reusable bags take up more space than plastic and come in larger boxes, retailers won't have space to store them and keep a good supply at cash registers. 

John Hughes, director of special projects with the Department of Environment, explained the new rules Monday. As the July 1 deadline draws closer, he said more businesses are asking questions.

"There's some challenges but also some opportunities," Hughes said, pointing out businesses can brand reusable bags with their company logos, resulting in a lasting advertising impact. 

He explained what kinds of bags are acceptable and to what businesses the reduction act applies.

"Some people were of the opinion that it was applying to only grocery stores — the Bag Reduction Act is toward all retailers," Hughes said. The main goal of the act is to reduce single-use packaging, he said, not to target plastic bags. 

'Just going to be the reality'

The fee for paper bags is a disincentive to buy them, Hughes explained.  

"What we hope will happen is people will make more use of durable, longer-lasting reusable bags and we won't have as much single-use plastic or single-use paper going into the waste stream." 

Hughes said he plans to hold more information sessions with Island businesses before the act officially takes effect July 1. 

"I hope it encourages people to bring reusable bags," said Phil Homburg, owner of the Kent Street Market, which has only offered paper bags since it opened in 2017.

"When the ban begins we plan to bring in some cheaper reusable bags for our customers. It's just going to be the reality and hopefully people adapt," Homburg said. 

The chamber's Penny Walsh-McGuire said she was relieved to hear that July 1 won't be a hard deadline for retailers.

"We were pleased to hear that there will be a grace period for those who still have plastic bags in their inventory so they can transition," she said.

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