Winnipeg's water and waste committee will consider a proposal to ban single-use plastic bags in the city — but the councillor in charge says the motion is unlilkely to go anywhere so close to an election.

In July, council's East Kildonan-Transcona community committee voted to ask city staff to implement a plastic bag ban in Winnipeg.

That motion, authored by Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt, will come before council's water and waste committee on Thursday.

Water and waste committee chair Brian Mayes (St. Vital) said he and his colleagues will likely shelve the idea, partly because he said it would be unwise to approve a major policy change so close to a civic election.

Winnipeggers vote for a new mayor and council on Oct. 24.

Mayes also noted city hall has considered a bag ban before, but held off on the basis the province will determine the future of plastic bag use in Manitoba.

"There would be a lot of details that would need to be worked out if we were to go ahead with this," Mayes said.

"But I tend to follow what the mayor is saying on this, which is the province should take the lead if they are going to implement something like this."