Photo by Zainub (Creative Commons)
This weekend, China joined a growing list of countries that have banned the free hand-out of plastic shopping bags in stores.
Retailers will instead to be required to charge for sturdier, re-usable bags.
The move is just one initiative aimed at ramping up the country’s green credentials before this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing, and it’s expected to reduce China’s plastic bag consumption – currently clocking in at a staggering 3 billion bags every day – by a third.
In related plastic bag news, my hometown grocery stores still hand out free bags to all and sundry. But there are signs of hope – the Orwellian-sounding Liquor Control Board of Ontario has just banned plastic entirely in all its liquor stores.
I’ll drink to that!
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That’s pretty amazing, considering (1) how much waste that saves, and (2) that makes them greener than Vancouver – which is supposed to a coven of hikers and hippies. When an initiative went up to ban free plastic bags here, the city said it was a “provincial issue.” Laaaaaame.
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Yeah, no matter our hippie cred, North Americans seem more reluctant than others to ban the free plastic. I wonder if it is part of our individualist/anti-government streak? As in, we should have the freedom to choose to bring our own recyclable bags?
Considering China was averaging 3 bags per person per day, though (!!), I'd bet Vancouverites were well ahead in the reduced-consumption race, at least prior to the ban.
Hopefully this type of thing catches on…
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Yeah, no matter our hippie cred, North Americans seem more reluctant than others to ban the free plastic. I wonder if it is part of our individualist/anti-government streak? As in, we should have the freedom to choose to bring our own recyclable bags?
Considering China was averaging 3 bags per person per day, though (!!), I’d bet Vancouverites were well ahead in the reduced-consumption race, at least prior to the ban.
Hopefully this type of thing catches on…
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