Shoppers in China will have to pay for plastic bags

BEIJING (AFP) – Shoppers in China will have to pay for plastic bags at supermarkets and other retail stores as part of a nationwide crackdown on the environmentally damaging items, the government has announced.

The production, sale and use of plastic shopping bags thinner than 0.025 millimetres (0.001 inches) will also be banned completely, the State Council, or cabinet, said in a statement posted on its website late Tuesday.


“Plastic shopping bags, due to reasons such as excessive use and inefficient recycling, have caused serious energy and resources waste and environment pollution,” the statement said.

“The super thin bags (those thinner than 0.025 mm) have especially become a main source of plastic pollution as they are easy to break and thus disposed of carelessly.”

AFP