Saanich plastic bag ban comes into effect in August

A shopper leaves a grocery store carrying his groceries in plastic bags Tuesday, August 30, 2016 in Brossard, Que. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Victoria -

The District of Saanich is just weeks away from banning single-use plastic bags at tills and checkout lines.

Starting Aug. 20, businesses in the municipality will no longer be allowed to give customers single-use plastic bags, under the district's "checkout bag regulation bylaw."

Instead, businesses can sell paper bags at a charge of 15 cents, while customers are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags.

Residents can also bring existing plastic bags to use when purchasing items, according to the district.

"The purpose of the bylaw is to regulate the use of single-use checkout bags by residents and businesses in an effort to reduce litter and waste in our community and our landfill," reads the district's website.

The district adds that reducing waste could lower operating costs for the municipality moving forward.

Meanwhile, bylaws banning single-use plastic checkout bags are already in effect in Victoria and Nanaimo.

Before the bylaw was issued in Nanaimo, the city estimated that 40 million plastic bags were used in Nanaimo each year.

According to the District of Saanich, each Saanich resident uses about 200 single-use plastic bags per year.