Midwestern

Bayfield's plastic-free designation attracting national attention

Bayfield's status as the first plastic-free community in North America is attracting a lot of attention from other communities.

Blue Bayfield Co-Chair Ray Letheran said the designation doesn't mean there are no plastics in the village, but they have made great progress in reducing the use of single-use plastics.

“Last fall we attended meetings in Minden and Haliburton and as a result of our visit, those communities are now entertaining bylaws to ban single-use plastics... straws and styrofoam trays and plastic water bottles and those types of things," said Letheran. “One of the most exciting opportunities was we were invited to fly to Alberta and to share our experiences with about fifty or sixty communities, ranging from Calgary to very tiny villages in Alberta and some communities from the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.”

Letheran said in the Northwest Territories, they don't provide bags of any kind, plastic, paper or anything else.  He said if you don't bring your own bag, you carry what you buy in your arms.

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