China – Shenzhen to end free plastic bags for retail shoppers

Shenzhen City in south China‘‘s Guangdong Province is considering to pass an ordinance to end free use of plastic shopping bags supplied by retailers.



Xinhuanet reports that the city‘‘s legislative affairs office has been soliciting opinions on a revised draft of an environmental protection regulation that would end the three-decade-long retail practice of providing free plastic shopping bags.



The draft Environmental Protection Regulation stipulates that retailers will be fined from 5,000 to 50,000 yuan (667 to 6,667 U. S. dollars) if they provide free plastic bags or fail to provide environment-friendly shopping bags or reusable baskets.



Zeng Suisheng, chief of the economic laws and regulations section of Shenzhen‘‘s legislative affairs office, said his office had posted the draft on the city‘‘s website and had written to more than 40 departments to seek opinions.



The environmental protection department has defended its proposal by listing statistics on the environmental impact of plastic bags.



The department stated that retailers across Shenzhen use at least 1.75 billion plastic bags each year. Most of those bags would decompose only after 200 years and some never would, the department said.



Some industry experts welcomed the proposal as a contrast to previous moves that amounted to lecturing consumers.



"The use of plastic bags can be reduced in an efficient way with economic incentives, as consumers must bear the cost when shopping," a department statement said.



Dong Jinshi, deputy chairman of the professional committee of plastic recycling with the China Plastic Production Industry Association (CPPIA), firmly supported Shenzhen‘‘s efforts.



"Shenzhen City should urgently investigate and pilot the use of plastic bag substitutes and ensure a stable supply of reliable, reasonably priced substitutes," said Dong.



"Shenzhen could pave the way for other Chinese cities in tackling white pollution."



However, the free distribution of plastic bags, which was introduced in Guangdong province in the early 1980s, is taken for granted by many customers as a convenience retailers are supposed to offer.



A woman surnamed Zhang, who was shopping at Wanfeng supermarket in Futian District, said if the supermarket did not give free plastic bags, she would be unable to carry home her groceries.



A local resident surnamed Ding described the city‘‘s move as an act aiming at getting attention. "Shenzhen is a city with a fast-moving lifestyle, who do you think will carry a basket for shopping? It will be unimaginable to go to work by metro while bringing a basket along," said Mr. Ding.