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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Paper or plastic? Come fall, it won't matter since each will cost NWT residents 25 cents.

Announced in the territorial budget on Feb. 5, the 25-cent levy on single-use retail bags will go into effect to try to ween residents off the wasteful items.

The advertising campaign starts on Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger's office door. The bags were taped to Miltenberger's door last week to show which items will be subject to a 25 cent levy. The minister is holding one of the 30,000 reusable bags that will be sent to every home in the territory to ween Northerners from single-use retail bags. - Herb Mathisen/NNSL photo

The government estimates nine million plastic bags end up in landfills each year.

Ken Hall, manager of environmental protection with the GNWT, said the goal of the initiative is not to generate revenue but instead to deter residents from using the bags.

"Ultimately, we would like it to generate as little revenue as possible," he said.

"We just wanted to ensure the levy was sufficient to be an effective disincentive."

The topic came up in the legislative assembly, as MLAs went through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' budget last Wednesday.

Great Slave MLA Glen Abernethy asked Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger if there were going to be any exemptions.

Miltenberger told MLAs he had taken a "rudimentary sample" of which bags the levy would apply to and taped them to the door of his office.

Hall said the thing to remember was the levy will be charged to bags people use to carry stuff out of the store.

He listed some exceptions like "the bag that you use to put your produce in, bags for prescriptions, the little bags you buy and put nuts and bolts in at the hardware store."

Hall said the government has received little feedback so far and said the program is still being fine-tuned.

"The program is still under development," he said, adding the department will soon go out to consult with retailers to see which outlets will be affected in the initial stages of the phased-in approach.

All revenues from the program go into the environment fund and will likely be put back into waste-reduction and recovery projects.

Retailers had scant details on the initiative beyond the budget announcement.

Gary Tonge, manager of Extra Foods downtown, said he is waiting for details.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's going relatively smooth," he said, but refrained from some saying anything further until he knew more about the plans.

Ben Walker, general manager of the Yellowknife Direct Charge Co-op, said he knew the levy was in the budget and was to be implemented in the fall. From what he has heard, the levy will be charged to companies when they buy bags wholesale, meaning a case of 1,000 bags will cost them an extra $250.

Walker said at that price, the Co-op won't be purchasing many new bags.

"We will have a couple cases on hand, but it's not in our plan to purchase plastic or paper bags.

"It's our thought that at 25 cents we won't sell too many."

Walker said the Co-op has worked the past two years to move its members away from using single-use bags and said the outlet will provide two-for-one promotions on reusable bags during special events before the fall.

The territorial government will also start a public promotion campaign in April, including the distribution of 30,000 reusable bags to every resident of the territory.

The bags will be handed out in communities through local municipality offices.

Hall said the bags cost a little more than a dollar a piece to produce, putting the price tag at around $30,000.

Saundra Arberry said she supported the levy.

"Anything that reduces plastic waste at the landfill," she said.

Arberry said she brings reusable bags with her when she goes shopping.

"When I remember," she laughed.

And one Yellowknife MLA will be heartily behind the levy.

Frame Lake MLA Wendy Bisaro didn't mince any words when discussing single-use bags last Wednesday.

"Plastic bags are the bane of our existence and I hate them with a passion," she said.