Tuesday June 3, 2008
China acts to curb addiction to plastic bags
BEIJING: China joined a small group of nations on Sunday in restricting the use of plastic bags, but there are doubts the rule will be effective in a country that consumes one trillion of them a year.
Supermarkets and other shops began charging for plastic bags as a government crackdown on the environmentally damaging items creaked into action.
The production, sale and use of ultra-thin plastic shopping bags, moreover, has been banned completely as part of efforts to rid the country of the “white pollution” that clogs its waterways, farms and fields.
Retailers who continue to provide free plastic shopping bags face fines from 5,000 to 10,000 yuan (about RM2,300 to RM4,600), according to the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.
The ban on free plastic bags drew a lukewarm response from some shoppers and store owners yesterday although some supermarkets across the country reported a 90% drop in bags consumed.
One day after the ban came into force, authorities here fined a shop 10,000 yuan (RM3,880) for “secretly using the ultra-thin plastic bags”, the Beijing Evening News said.
China consumes 37 million barrels of crude oil each year to manufacture more than one trillion plastic bags. It is following in the footsteps of countries such as Ireland, Rwanda and Bangladesh to introduce a ban.
But environmental organisations questioned whether the new rules could be effectively implemented.
Each day, the country uses an estimated three billion plastic bags, some of which take decades to decompose.
Most Chinese people are in favour of the ban on free plastic bags, saying it is a good move towards protecting the environment in a country known for its huge pollution problems. – Agencies
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