At the beginning of the year the People’s Republic of China imposed an outright ban on thin-grade plastic bags. It was widely hailed as a sign of environmental progress in the traditional thinking China, however some were skeptical that the ban might simply be ignored as some other previous ones such as the ban on wooden chopsticks have been.
Seven months later having just come from mainland China I can tell you that the ban is mostly being ignored. On several occasions I was offered thin plastic bags at grocery stores without having requested them. However one place that has taken the ban to heart is Papa John’s. One customer who expressed displeasure at being forced to pay two-Renminbi for a cloth tote bag had this to say when asked to comment: ‘who gives a fuck about the environment?’
In neighbouring Hong Kong the local government has recently implemented a fifty cent surcharge for each plastic bag used in the territory. It seems to be working quite well with a lot of people now carrying their own bags to the store. However it’s only been implemented at large chain stores, meaning the local and smaller stores are continuing to offer plastic bags at the same pace as before.
