Researchers:Plastics Bags Ban Needs Strengthening

This Wednesday marks the third anniversary of China's ban on plastic bags. As CRI's Li Ningjing reports, while large supermarkets are selling shoppers fewer plastic bags, many neighborhood markets continue to give their customers free ultra-thin ones. Researchers suggest that efforts to enforce the ban should focus first on places that can implement the policy well.

China banned the use of ultra-thin plastic bags three years ago and set a policy whereby retailers in supermarkets, shopping malls and neighborhood markets had to charge customers for plastic bags.

According to the National Development and Reform Commission, supermarkets have reduced their plastic bag use by two-thirds since the ban took effect.

Many shoppers carry their own bags with them when they go to a place that charges for plastic bags.

"If I go to a large supermarket, I usually take a bag with me because they charge for plastic bags. For places that offer free bags such as some grocery stores and markets, I don't."

Supermarkets charge 0.2 to 0.5 yuan, or three to five cents, per plastic bag.

Yang Weihe is from the EnviroFriends Institute of Environmental Science and Technology. His institute researched plastic bag usage in three cities, namely Harbin, Hangzhou and Zhengzhou, in 2010. He says about 40 percent of consumers indicated they preferred to take their own bags when they shopped.

Nevertheless, Yang warns that the effect of the plastic bag ban has been limited.

"Large supermarkets have been doing a good job in limiting the use of plastic bags. But ultra-thin plastic bags are still widely used in wet markets.

Mao Da, Director of a research group on this issue, echoes this view. He is also worried that the number of supermarkets implementing this ban is on the decrease.

He suggests that more efforts be made in places that are able to carry out the policy well as a first step towards total implementation of the ban.

"Supermarket chains have done well in plastic bag control. Now we'd better consolidate the current results and mete out some rewards and punishments. At the same time, we hope decision makers take into account places that have not implemented the policy, such as large shopping centers and franchise houses. As for the wet markets, we may lift the ban for a while because resources are limited."

Mao says he believes large shopping centers will serve as role models to encourage shoppers to use fewer plastic bags.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Commerce has indicated that China will expand its restrictions on plastic bags to restaurants, hospitals and book stores.

For CRI, this is Li Ningjing.