Central government of China to limit use of plastic bags from June 1, to protect the environment and save energy

www.chinaview.cn 2008-01-09 10:38:58 Print

BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) --

The government will impose limits on the use of plastic bags starting on June 1, as part of its dual campaign to protect the environment and save energy.

In a circular posted on the central government's Web site (www.gov.cn) on Tuesday, the General Office of the State Council ordered a ban on the production, sale and use of ultra-thin bags (defined as less than 0.025 mm thick) as of June 1. Further, supermarkets and shops will be banned from giving free plastic bags to customers as of that date.

China thus joins many governments that have moved to limit the manufacture, sale and use of plastic bags, according to the circular.

"Our country consumes a large amount of plastic bags. While convenient for consumers, the bags also lead to a severe waste of resources and environmental pollution because of their excessive use and low rate of recycling," said the circular. "The ultra-thin bags are the main source of 'white' pollution as they can easily get broken and end up as litter."

The campaign will encourage citizens to use fewer plastic bags. Supermarkets and shops are told to offer clear price tags for plastic bags and charge consumers separately for them.

The circular said the Ministry of Commerce is in discussion with the country's top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission, on detailed regulations on paid use of plastic bag.

Meanwhile, ultra-thin plastic bags are banned in passenger trains, vessels, buses, planes, stations, airports and scenic spots. Relevant supervisors must make sure their underlings would not offer such bags.

Environment protection departments are required to step up waste recycling practice and strengthen monitoring of plastic bag recycling. They should establish an "environment entry threshold", pollution control standards and technical criteria for collecting, delivering, storing and reproducing plastic bags.

Science and technology departments must increase input to develop technologies helpful of adding value into used plastic products.

Finance and tax authorities are urged to give tax a bigger role in controlling production, sales and use of plastic bags and support recycling and comprehensive utilization of used plastics.

Chinese consumers have been accustomed to carry what they buy from shops with free plastic bags since shopkeepers began offering the bags more than a decade ago.

"I think (the ban) will help improve the environment. When I go shopping, I would prefer taking a fabric bag with me rather than buying a plastic one from the shop," said Jing Ruihong, a 46-year-old accountant in Beijing.

Dong Jinshi, vice chairman of the Waste Plastics Recycling Committee of China Plastics Processing Industry Association (WPRC-CPPIA) said the ban would cut use of plastics bags by more than 60 percent and raise the recycling rate of one-time plastic bags.

He also said the country should introduce substitutes for plastic bags as soon as possible.

"It may be difficult for them to watch over farmers markets and small chain stores," a female citizen surnamed Zhu said.

Large supermarkets such as Walmart has been advocating use of eco-friendly cotton bags since late 2007. These bags are priced at three yuan, significantly lower than their production cost usually of around nine yuan, said Huang Li from Walmart's PR department.

Huang said the sales of cotton bags are not "good" because people inclined to use free plastic bags they offered simultaneously. Nevertheless, she said the latest ban would facilitate promotion of eco-friendly bags and Walmart would look at the issue closely before deciding whether to offer other kinds of substitute bags.

The overuse of plastic bags is always a major problem in China.

In Shenzhen, a booming city in south China's Guangdong Province, retailers use at least 1.75 billion plastic bags each year. Most of those bags would decompose only after 200 years and some would never, said the local environmental protection department.

Ahead of the national directive, Shenzhen announced in November it was considering placing fees on the use of plastic bags, with fines from 5,000 to 50,000 yuan (667 to 6,667 U.S. dollars) for retailers that gave them away for free.

However, experts said it might take time for consumers to be adapted to the new rule as they had long taken it for granted as a convenience retailers were supposed to offer.

Editor: An Lu

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