China’s Ban on Free Disposable Plastic Shopping Bags

With the severe “White Pollution”, the environment has caused wide public concern. “White Pollution” in China is majorly caused by disposable plastic shopping bags, which will be used only once and then become permanent pollution. Therefore, it is necessary for China to formulate a ban on free disposable plastic shopping bags.  

The government ban, no more free plastic bags from June 1, 2008, is a comparatively effective policy. First and foremost, the public have been aware of the importance of stopping the “White Pollution” and most of them support this policy. The government has made a series of measures to achieve the goal. Advertisements concerning the “White Pollution” has notablely increased.

Besides, environment-friendly plastic bags have been widely used in most supermarkets and enterprises. Chinese Government claimed that the amount of plastic bags in supermarkets alone was decreased by 40 billion during the last year. Obviously the ban is effective among those supermarkets, which will benefit the environment a lot in the long term. Lastly，more and more people have been involved in the campaign to ban the use of plastic bags. Most residents are willing to bring bags when they are shopping, by which way they can make a due contribution to environmental protection.   

However, the ban seems to be a little ineffective among some bauernmarkts and groceries where free thin plastic bags are everywhere.

Even government officers have to admit that the thinnest plastic bags which are forbidden are still in use, particularly in bauernmarkts and groceries. Partly because there is no clear requirement to announce to peddleries. Many of them choose to offer customers plastics bags as usual and some even don’t know the ban. Partly because it is a hard job to check and supervise so many peddleries, especially in remote areas.   

On the whole, government and citizens should make sure that the ban keep effective. Reinforcing supervision is necessary to insure plastic bags would be made by environment-friendly and recyclable materials. Also enhancing people's awareness of environmental protection is a fundamental way to reduce the use of plastic bags.

There is no excuse for any of us to make the plastic bag ban end up as a dead duck. On top of that, we also can take such actions like Styrofoam recycling, which is very necessary to protect our environment. And then we can reuse it to do some other products.