TORONTO – Toronto city council passed a motion to not only scrap the five-cent tax on plastic bags on Wednesday, but to do away all with plastic shopping bags all together.
Council voted 24-to-20 to ban the bags, starting in January of 2013, due to the negative impact plastic bags have on the environment.
The ban will make Toronto the first major Canadian city to kick single-use plastic shopping bags to the curb, following suit with many other cities around the world.
Global News took a look at the top 5 places around the world who have also instated plastic bag bans.
1. Los Angeles
Los Angeles became the largest U.S. cities to ban plastic bags in November of 2010, following the success of a ban that was instated by San Francisco. According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, prior to the ban L.A. residents used over six million plastic bags per year. The ban, which reached nearly 1.1 million residents, became one of the most aggressive environmental movements in the U.S.
2. Rwanda
The African nation is one of the only with a country-wide ban on plastic bags, adding to their reputation of being one of the cleanest nations in the world. The ban, which has been in effect for over four years, is a hot topic for travellers to the country and is frequently brought up in tourist forums. Rwandan police have even gone as far as stopping people who carry plastic bags on the street.
3. Mexico City
Mexico City prohibited the use of plastic bags in 2010, as a part of the city’s $1 billion-per-year investment to develop greener solutions. Prior to the ban it was estimated that Mexico City residents used 20 million plastic bags per year. The law gave local authorities authorization to fine shop owners who sold or gave out plastic bags up to $90,000.
4. Bangladesh
In 2002 Bangladesh created a strict outright ban on plastic bags after discovering stray bags were the cause of the 1988 and 1998 floods that left two-thirds of the country underwater. This ban made Bangladesh the first nation to ban the use of plastic bags country-wide.
5. Modbury, England
This small English town may not be the biggest place with a plastic bag ban, but due to the 13 billion bags a year that are given away in Britain this town made it a faux pas to carry plastic bags. Shops instead began to carry biodegradable cornstarch bags, bin bags and 2,000 special edition Modbury cotton bags which later became a collector’s item.
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