June 8, 2018: Day of Action Ban single-use plastic bags in NL.

June 7, 2018

 

Reliable estimates inform us that eight million tonnes of plastic is finding its way into the oceans on an annual basis and here at home almost 50% of all windborne litter escaping from landfills is plastic, much of it single-use plastic bags that end up tangled in trees or floating in our inland & coastal waters.

In response to this crisis, Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador has passed two resolutions in favour of a provincial ban on single-use plastic bags and on June 2nd, more than a thousand delegates at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) AGM voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution to urge the federal government to create a marine litter mitigation strategy. According to the federal government, more than 150 million tonnes of plastic waste is clogging the oceans worldwide, and it’s estimated that plastic could outweigh fish by 2050.

On June 8th, 2018, MNL in partnership with the Plastic Bag Ban of Newfoundland and Labrador group will stage a #BanTheBag Social Media Day of Action to call on the provincial government to develop a provincially-mandated ban on single-use plastic bags.

MNL is encouraging all municipal councils in Newfoundland and Labrador to write to The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment, Honourable Andrew Parsons, QC encouraging the provincial government to take a leadership role in protecting our marine environment by banning single-use plastic bags in Newfoundland and Labrador.

MNL is asking our members and residents to spread awareness using the hashtag #BanTheBag. MNL and Plastic Bag Ban NL welcomes the opportunity to be tagged on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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About MNL

Municipalities Newfoundland & Labrador (MNL) was formed in 1951 as an umbrella organization mandated to represent and support local government in Newfoundland and Labrador. MNL represents the 275 incorporated municipalities in the province that service 89 per cent of the population and their more than 2,000 leaders.