According to environmentalists, the COVID-19 pandemic could have a unique impact on plastics consumption across Alberta. Kathleen Sheppard, executive director at Environment Lethbridge, said that new policies at some grocery stores across Canada, like Sobeys and Save-on-Foods, are not allowing reusable bags into their stores.
Fast-food restaurants such as Tim Hortons and Starbucks, meanwhile, are no longer offering refills. In turn, practices such as these, Sheppard says, have increased reliance on single-use plastics. “There was a lot of momentum around moving away from those items, finding alternatives and things like that,” Sheppard said. “Now people are feeling cautious about not having those single-use items available.” Once the