Saanich is poised to become the second municipality in Greater Victoria to ban single-use plastic bags.
A bylaw is in front of Saanich council tonight that, if approved, would ban retailers from handing out the bags to reduce plastic waste.
The proposed bylaw is expected to go to first and second reading at tonight's council meeting.
According to a report from city staff, the bylaw would directly mirror Victoria's bylaw so there is consistency across both cities for businesses and consumers.
Staff estimate that the bylaw would save the district money, as nearly $23-million worth of plastic checkout bags are handed out by businesses each year – and they're costly to dispose of.
Saanich is expected to go ahead with the bylaw, which would be put into place a year from now.
Similar to Victoria, it would be a phased-in approach with the end goal of prohibiting businesses from handing out plastic bags.
It would also include minimum charges for paper and reusable bags at 15 cents and $1, respectively.
