It could be said that the economic value in the banning of plastic bags is easy to imagine. Initially the mass adoption of paper bags would provide an enormous boost to Canada's failing pulp and paper industry. Another immediate benefit would be a direct reduction in land cleanup costs as shown in the Leaf Rapids example. The recycling industry could also see an improvement as the sheer number of recyclables coming through would increase and more funding would have to be allocated. However, In spite of these benefits the economic pitfalls to the banning of plastic bags must also be considered. In Leaf Rapids the population was 530 people, in the 6 month period after the law was introduced the city had issued "7000 reusable polypropylene bags to its residents," leading us to believe that about 13 bags are needed for every person (Chliboyko). If the population of Canada is around 33 million, then we would require 430 million reusable cloth bags, and while this is less than the 2.64 billion plastic bags used every year, the truth is we currently do not have the means to produce that many ("Thanks, I").
Regardless of the lack of benefits, many countries around the world have banned or at least plan to ban plastic bags in the near future. The countries of Bangladesh, and Bhutan, as well as parts of England, France, Africa, India, and in 2010 Italy, have all banned bags outright. Other countries such as China, the rest of Africa, Ireland, and the rest of England levy taxes on plastic bags and/or have bans on ultra thin plastic bags (Murdoch). However, in spite of this growing trend to ban plastic bags, none of these countries, except Ireland, have published information showing any benefits these bans or levies have had on the economy, their standard of living, or their local environment ("Plastic" 83). Ireland, the exception to this, showed a "90%" reduction in the use of plastic shopping bags after imposing a strict tax (Patterson). Yet, In spite of this massive reduction in shopping bag use, the plastics industry was pleased to report a "21% increase" in the overall use of plastics in Ireland, primarily due to the increased sales of garbage bags (Patterson).
In conclusion, if plastic bags were banned in Canada, it would have a damaging effect on the environment, the quality of life for your average consumer, and the economy of Canada. Instead we should focus on the reduction of the amount of plastic bags used, and use high quality cloth bags as a supplement to plastic when possible, as the use of plastic bags in moderation is currently the most environmentally friendly option available to us.
