Nearly 10 years ago, Fort McMurray, Alta., banned plastic bags after a a high-school student collected 2,300 signatures in petition. Some people still have not adjusted to the environmental change and have instead opted to smuggling plastic bags into their city. Morning show host, Bradley Karp, told CBC that he is completely hooked on the bags and whenever he goes out of town, he collects as many as he can.
"I'm pretty sure there's a pretty heavy black market for plastic bags in this city," Karp said.
Another resident, Keith McGrath, said that he has connections out of town so that when he shops, store managers will give him a few extra bags on the side. He believes that the plastic ban has had a negative impact on the city as a whole.
"I appreciate people trying to help the environment, but what I've noticed since the plastic bag ban, there's more garbage found in our streets and in our playgrounds."
In 2014 an online petition to legalize plastic bags was started by a grocery store clerk, but failed after not receiving enough signatures.
"I think the plastic bag ban has had its day and I believe our community needs to band together and think about how we can make life better for people that are living here and how we can make life better for people who want to move here," McGrath told CBC.