As awareness grows around the world about the issues posed by the use of plastic bags, local and national governments are beginning to take steps to eliminate their use. Some have instituted taxes on plastic bags and some have even banned them outright. Countries that have begun to institute policies that discourage or eliminate the use of disposable bags include the western nations of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Australia, and the United States; Eastern countries such as China, Bhutan, India, Taiwan, Bangladesh and Singapore; and the African nations of Kenya, Uganda, Eritrea, Somaliland, Rwanda, and South Africa. Shoppers around the world now carry reusable shopping bags, and smart store owners have gotten in on the action by selling their own brand-name reusable bags alongside the checkouts.
An innovative program in Ireland called “PlasTax” taxes shoppers who opt for plastic bags, and has resulted in a huge 90% decrease in plastic bag use since the program began in 2002. Translated into units This equates to a billion fewer plastic bags put into circulation each year. According to the program, the money raised by taxing plastic bags even has an ecological purpose: to fund environmental initiatives. The PlasTax has been so successful that other governments have followed suit, making reusable shopping bags the norm and plastic bags the exception.
In some countries, laws have been enacted regulating the thickness of bags, such as in China. To combat trash and oil waste, that country’s state council banned the use of bags with a thickness of less than 24/1000 of a millimeter. The Chinese government also requires retailers to charge for thicker bags. In the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, all polyethylene bags are banned in both production and use, and those caught carrying them could be jailed for up to seven years or fined $ 2,000. In 2003, Indian politicians proclaimed that the bags interfere with the health of the soil and create unsightly garbage. Total bans have also been favored in Paris, San Francisco, England, Australia, Singapore and Bangladesh.
San Francisco’s recent ban on plastic bags prohibits large grocery stores and drug stores from using plastic shopping bags. Paper bags and biodegradable bags have taken their place and the use of reusable bags is encouraged. Other cities that are considering bans include Austin, Annapolis, Bakersfield, Boston, New Haven and Phoenix. While some see these bans as positive in the sense that overall pollution is reduced by keeping non-biodegradable waste out of the environment and CO2 emissions from its production out of the air, others argue that the bans do not significantly affect the amount of disposable bags in use. Whether they are paper bags or compostable, both have their environmental drawbacks. It is important to understand that the San Francisco ban, while a start, is actually only a partial ban. Thousands of small businesses will continue to be allowed to distribute plastic bags of any kind. Yet consumers themselves have more power to make a change simply by shopping with their own reusable bags.
