Moose Jaw's Youth Advisory Committee made their pitch for Biobags at Monday's city council meeting.

Committee member Lucas Dyck, along with several other members of the committee, spoke about the issue.

“We understand that it would be inconvenient to rid plastic bags with no solution,” he said. “Our alternative is to switch to bags that would ultimately provide a positive contribution to the environment. We set the precedent for generations to come because the longer we ignore this problem, the longer it becomes a problem. Adopting this as a solution would help make our community a cleaner and greener place.”

The committee’s Ha'Keena Maneso said even though regular plastic bags are recyclable, they are often seen in our backyards and our rivers.

“A good example of this would be our landfill,” Maneso said. “Right now, coming into Moose Jaw, right by the nice sign that says Canada’s Most Notorious City, there’s the landfill. On the fence, you see all the plastic bags, and I’m not sure if that’s how we want to represent our city."

Members of the committee said the big difference in the Biobags product is that they act much like plastic, but take only three to six months to break down in the soil.

Maneso said Biobags are a solution to taking away plastic bags.

“They would be a perfect replacement for the regular plastic bag,” she said. “Integrating Biobags in Moose Jaw would replace what is being taken away. People tend to be creatures of habit, so for the people of Moose Jaw, it would be an easier transition. (And) it would almost feel as if the plastic bags never left.”

Traditional plastic can take up to thousands of years to break down.

Council voted to receive this information as part of their considerations for the removal of plastic bags.

City manager Jim Puffalt said the information the youth committee provided will help the city make a decision on plastic bags, as will future decisions made at the federal level.