The question grocery store cashiers ask customers may soon not be an option:

"Do you need plastic bags today?"

City councillor Jan Stick announced at Monday evening's standing committee meeting that she will table a motion next week to ban the distribution of plastic shopping bags.

"Single-use plastic shopping bags are a visible component of litter throughout the city of Whitehorse and form a significant portion of the solid waste deposited in the city's landfill," she said, reading from the prepared motion.

Further, she said, they have a negative impact on wildlife and wildlife habitat, and are not environmentally-friendly.

"I think it's truly timely," Stick said, wearing a green vest in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

Last April, Leaf Rapids, Man. became the first Canadian municipality to ban plastic shopping bags.

Vancouver is weighing the option of banning them in time for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Will Whitehorse be next?

"I'm really going to be interested in the discussion that comes with this," said Stick. She owns Well-Read Books on Fourth Avenue, and has eliminated plastic bags from her store.

She acknowledged it was an initial cost detriment to her, because she purchased orders of more expensive reusable canvas bags. Now, things have turned around for her.

"My customers have to purchase them, and I'm making money on them.

"I've seen more and more businesses doing it," she said.

Chris Wolnik, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention (CCPP), said a plastic bag ban is a big step in the right direction.

"It's the first principle of pollution prevention: reducing waste."

The CCPP is a non-governmental organization based in Toronto that works with municipalities and governments to reduce waste.

If Whitehorse residents become educated on how a plastic bag ban would help the environment, Wolnik said, they would easily adapt.

"I don't really buy the argument that it's tough to change behaviour," he said.

Behaviour is one thing, but business practices are another.

Mac's Fireweed Books manager Natalie Sumner told the Star her store currently orders only plastic bags for customers.

"We're looking into getting canvas," she said, but that would mean cutting ties with their current bag supplier.

Rick Karp, president of the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, said he would have to do some research into local businesses' reaction to the proposal, but did offer an initial prediction.

"That would be a problem," he said.

"What am I going to use? Paper is a lot more expensive, and forget canvas; that's a whole lot more expensive," he said.

"That would have a considerable impact."

At the Real Canadian Superstore, customers are given the option of purchasing President's Choice-brand canvas totes or plastic bins, rather than accepting the free plastic bags.

Stick said the impetus for the motion is not economically-driven, but stems from the visual impact of visiting the city's landfill off the Alaska Highway.

"There's plastic bags at the dump everywhere, and they fly all over the place," she said.

Landfill supervisor Peter Dymacek said a plastic bag ban would mean a lot to him.

"The seagulls, ravens and the eagles, I've seen them get all tangled up in them," he said. "They fly around with plastic bags stuck around their feet.

"It's not good for the environment."

A year after Leaf Rapids legislated its plastic bag ban, Mayor Ed Cherrier said the town is noticeably more clean.

"It's excellent, it's worked out far better than I ever figured it would," he said.

"If you see one now on the street, you almost gasp."

He said part of the bylaw saw the city hand out five reusable bags to each family to get them started.

"We know we'll never be plastic-free, but we can be plastic-responsible," he said from his office this morning.

San Francisco became the first North American city to ban plastic bags in March 2007. The entire country of China will not be using them starting June 1, when a ban announced in January will take effect.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty last year promised to reduce the distribution of plastic bags by half in the province by the year 2012.

In Dawson City, most stores have reduced the number they distribute, or simply ask customers whether they'd prefer to use their own.

"This has cut down on them quite a bit," Star correspondent Dan Davidson said today.

The Whitehorse ban motion is set to be tabled at next Tuesday's council meeting following the Easter long weekend. The meeting is set for 7:30 p.m.