China Bans Certain Plastic Bags and Charges for Others
Starting on June 1, ultra-thin plastic bags will be banned in China. Furthermore, supermarkets and shops will no longer be able to give out free plastic bags to shoppers. According to Reuters, “Chinese people use up to 3 billion plastic bags a day and the country has to refine 5 million tonnes (37 million barrels) of crude oil every year to make plastics used for packaging…”
Image courtesy of English People’s Daily Online.
I live in Beijing, and I smiled real big the other day when the cashier asked me if I had my own bag. Before June 1, I tried bringing my own bags but could never keep the habit. Now I’ve got real incentive!