The Liberal opposition is calling on the Higgs government to take steps to significantly reduce the use of plastic bags in New Brunswick.

Liberal environment critic Cathy Rogers pointed to the success Prince Edward Island has had in virtually eliminating plastic bags from the waste stream after introducing legislation in that province called the Plastic Bag Reduction Act.

The Island’s waste management corporation was having trouble finding a market for recycledbags, largely because China has stopped taking overseas recyclables.

New Brunswick is now experiencing a similar problem. Discarded plastic bags have been piling up since China changed its rules and waste management organizations in this province are at a loss as to what to do them. 

“Unfortunately, it’s likely these bags are going to end up in a landfill somewhere,” Rogers said. “That’s obviously not a great outcome for the environment, and we need to do something about it.”

“If we can bring in legislation similar to PEI, the evidence there shows we can virtually eliminate plastic bags from the waste stream. That’s something we’ll be looking at bringing forward when the legislature resumes next month.”

The Environment has been identified as one of five priorities for the future by Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers. 

“From addressing climate change to reducing our environmental footprint, these things will be a priority for us as party moving forward,” Rogers added. “We have to do better for future generations.”