Regina City Councillor Bob Hawkins' motion to draft a plastic bag ban bylaw passed unanimously Wednesday.

In a setback for the zero-waste movement, single-use plastics are seeing a resurgence during the new coronavirus pandemic.

Some stores, including Sobeys and local Home Hardware shops, are preparing months in advance, already removing the bags from rotation.

The company has said the change will eliminate 225 million bags used annually at more than 250 stores across Canada.

Prince Albert becomes the first city in Saskatchewan to ban single-use plastic check-out bags.

“We don’t want to say ‘continue recycling your plastic bags’ when we’re not certain that they’re ever going to find a home.”

Sobeys, which is owned by Empire Company Ltd., estimates the move will eliminate 225 million plastic check stand bags – just over 1,200 tonnes – every year.

The City of Regina's CartSmart team surveyed residents recycling habits and found many of them were making common mistakes.

An Ontario researcher is calling on society to take swift action to solve the growing problem of plastics accumulating in the Great Lakes.

The switch to paper bags will begin on Vancouver Island this month, followed by Metro Vancouver in February and the rest of B.C. in March 2020.