There's no future in plastics.
That seemed to be the consensus at District of North Vancouver municipal hall Monday night as council voted 5-0 to have staff investigate a policy regulating single-use items like plastic bags and straws. Staff would be tasked with discussing the issue with local businesses and stakeholder groups before reporting back to council within 90 days.
The motion, put forward by Coun. Megan Curren, elicited strong support from children throughout the district, as 581 elementary students wrote letters to council and several students petitioned council to ban plastics at Monday's meeting.
"There is no planet B," a Grade 5 student told council.
The students were supported by Oceanwise microplastics researcher Rhiannon Moore, who told council plastic doesn't biodegrade but only becomes too small to detect.
It's both "really sad" and very encouraging to see so many young people well-versed in the issue of ocean plastic pollution, Curren said.
The thrust for ecologically-minded district residents should be to use less, Curren told her colleagues.
"It's not about replacing one thing with something else," she said. "We need to rethink what convenience means."
Enforcing a single-use plastics ban would come with a cost for the municipality, Curren acknowledged. However, there is also a financial and environmental cost that comes with plastic washing up in sewers, storms drains and beaches, she contended.
Coun. Jim Hanson, who served as acting mayor during the meeting, said he was struck to see young people leading the charge on the issue. Hanson also discussed how easy it is to use and throw out plastic, noting his past use of plastic cups and straws.
The motion was also supported by Krystal Brennan of Wildcoast Ecological Society. Brennan, who was speaking to council about rehabilitation work in Mackay Creek following a February oil spill, emphasized the need to divert plastic from waterways.
Mayor Mike Little and Coun. Lisa Muri attended the earlier portion of the meeting via telephone but were not present during the vote on regulating plastic.
This article originally appeared on the North Shore News website and will be updated.
