In the wake of the Town of Qualicum Beach looking for feedback on a proposed plastic bag ban, one business owner has suggested businesses work together to supply reusable bags.
Jean Young, owner of Arbutus Fashion and Lifestyle Ltd. in Qualicum Beach, spoke as a delegation at Monday’s (Jan. 29) council meeting.
Young said she has priced reusable bags locally and has found a company that would charge $2 per bag for a minimum of 1,000 bags.
“I figured if I could get 400 businesses and services, it doesn’t have to be retail but just all businesses… We could have on the gusset of the shopping bag their (the businesses’) names.”
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Young said if she could get 400 businesses to support the initiative and donate $50 each, each business would get about 25 reusable $2-bags for their initial $50-investment.
Young also suggested the town council give out a prize for someone locally to design a logo for the bags.
Young said the $2 bag is a non-woven bag made from nylon pellets. She said while people could use the bag over and over again, it would still be a plastic-based product.
“At the end of the day, after your multi-uses, it’s still not so environmentally friendly,” Young said.
Young said there is a cotton bag, but that would cost $5 per bag.
Coun. Neil Horner asked whether the $2 bag was made from recycled plastic content or new material, which Young said she’s still waiting to hear feedback on that.
“If it’s recycled content, then I think it’s not as bad as perhaps you might think because you’re putting dead plastic to use,” Horner said.
When asked by Mayor Teunis Westbroek why Young wasn’t approaching both the Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Qualicum Beach Downtown Business Association, Young said it was because not all businesses in Qualicum Beach are members of either organization.
Young said through the town, each business applies for a business licence.
Young said she was hoping the town would get behind the initiative, so she could contact businesses that buy licences through the town.
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