By Brooke Larsen - Staff Reporter

Shoppers will get hit with a "plastax" on plastic shopping bags if Coquitlam council gets its way.

On Monday, council gave its support to a resolution calling for the provincial and federal governments to tax the sale of plastic bags, but didn't specify how high the tax should be.

"There seems to be a movement afoot to tax these bags," said Coun. Fin Donnelly, who proposed the motion.

The tax would deter people from using plastic bags, and reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in waterways and oceans, Donnelly said.

He said the plastax has been successful in Ireland, where it caused a 90 to 95 per cent drop in plastic bag use.

But when asked by Coun. Brent Asmundson how much the tax would be, Donnelly said he didn't know yet.

(Earlier this month, North Vancouver passed a resolution calling for a plastax of 25 cents per bag.)

The tax could also offset the high cost of recycling plastic bags, Mayor Maxine Wilson said.

But several councillors weren't buying it.

"The intent of this is fine, but I don't think we need another tax," said Coun. Mae Reid.

"Surely there is some other way of dealing with the problem."

Reid said plastic bags should be designed to disintegrate so they don't end up littering the environment.

Coun. Doug Macdonell said most plastic shopping bags get reused and, therefore, shouldn't be taxed.

"I just don't think I agree with another tax, especially when most households just use them as garbage bags," Macdonell said.

Coun. Richard Stewart said consumers should be able to return plastic bags for cash, as they do with glass bottles.

The motion passed with Stewart, Reid and Coun. Lou Sekora opposed.

According to the resolution, the use of plastic bags has "mushroomed," with four to five trillion produced in North America and Western Europe in 2002. It also notes that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic in every square mile of the world's oceans.

In Coquitlam, white plastic bags bearing code 2 or 4 can be recycled in blue recycling boxes.

Save-on-Foods in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam also accept plastic shopping bags, as does the SHARE Family & Community Services Society.

published on 05/31/2006