Less bags, less trash in Wapekeka

As stewards and caretakers of Mother Earth, the people of Wapekeka First Nation are taking their role in environmental stewardship quite seriously.
“We quit using plastic bags last year during our spring clean up,” said Chief Norman Brown.
When chief and council made the decision to not use plastic bags, they informed the community through a letter. The decision to discontinue with using plastic bags at the store was an adjustment for people initially.
“The first time, a lot of people were upset, but now they have gotten used to bringing their own bag,” Brown said.
A noticeable improvement within the community is seeing less garbage at the dump, the chief said.
Brown also notes that his neighbours, the people of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, have started to ban plastic bags at their local stores as well.