Energy

Wed, 12/02/2009 - 11:28

Effectiveness of plastic bag ban policy is questionable - researcher

by Terry Wang

At the end of 2007, the Chinese government announced a new policy that prohibited stores from providing their customers with free plastic bags. The goal of the policy, which took effect on June 1, 2008, was reduce the consumption of plastic bags, which are believed to be a large source of wasted energy and a threat to the environment. But questions remain about just how effective the policy has been over the last year and a half. In an interview with Interfax, Mao Da, a doctoral student and founder of a community research group studying the policy, discusses the underlying problems of the policy and how effective it has been at reducing plastic bag consumption.

"If the situation does not change, it will be difficult to return to the time when most retailers and citizens were following the policy," Mao said.
Mao Da

Shanghai. December 2. INTERFAX-CHINA - Almost a year and a half since China instituted its ban on free plastic bags, the policy is still not being uniformly followed and may be losing ground as the public gets used to paying for plastic bags, an environmental researcher told Interfax.

This article is only accessible to Interfax subscribers. To gain access to this article, as well similar in-depth articles and industry-specific content, please contact our sales staff by telephone (+852 2537 2262) .

Start free trial NOW