The City of Winnipeg has decided it's too expensive to recycle plastic bags, and it's not making a move to ban them.
The city hopes people will learn to tackle the issue themselves.
Some people have already found creative ways to reduce, reuse or recycle plastic bags.
Take the Willing Helpers of the Elmwood Mennonite Brethren Church, for instance.
They want to keep all the plastic bags they can, and Margaret Hiebert explains why.
"These are the Wal-Mart bags which we cut into strips," she said. The 80-year-old said those stripes become newer, stronger shoulder and hand bags.
"We find them very useful," she said. "They're strong. You can wash them, and they really stand up very well."
Bags can last years
She told CTV's Rachel Lagac� that she has one bag that has lasted several years.
And besides giving themselves a sturdy satchel, Hiebert and her friends are keeping hundreds of bags out of the landfill.
"So in this way we can make use of the bags," said Anne Schroeder, 81. "When we're finished, it doesn't go in the garbage."
Across town, Mai Rana is doing her part. She said she always leaves reusable cloth bags in her trunk.
"It's saving money, too in the long run and helps the environment out," she said. "Little things like that add up if a lot of people start doing it."
Canadian Tire is selling reusable bags. Manager Kerry Corbin said his store has already sold 1,000 of them.
CTV Winnipeg is also helping you get in the bag. You can buy CTV's recycled, environment friendly, antibacterial and washable "Just One Thing™ bag"' at Portage Place Shopping Centre's Customer Service booth for $2.00.
Seventy-five cents per bag is donated to Green Kids, a travelling theatre group with an environmental message. Go to greenkids.com for more information.
