In many countries of the world, there has been a phase-out of lightweight plastic bags. Single-use plastic shopping bags, commonly made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic, have traditionally been given free to customers by stores when purchasing goods--a popular method considered a strong, cheap, and hygienic way of transporting items. Problems associated with plastic bags include use of non-renewable resources (such as crude oil, gas and coal), disposal, and environmental impacts.
Governments all over the world have taken action to ban the sale of lightweight bags, charge customers for lightweight bags and/or generate taxes from the stores who sell them. The Bangladesh government was the first to do so in 2002, imposing a total ban on the bag. Such a ban has also been applied in countries or regions such as Rwanda, China, Taiwan, Macedonia and Kenya. Some countries in Europe impose a fee per bag. Bans, partial bans, and fees have been enacted by some local jurisdictions in North America, Australia, and Myanmar. Concurrently with the reduction in lightweight plastic bags, shops have introduced reusable shopping bags.
Video Phase-out of lightweight plastic bags
Issues
Plastic bags cause many minor and major ecological and environmental issues. The most general issue with plastic bags is the amount of waste produced. Many plastic bags end up on streets and subsequently pollute major water sources, rivers, and streams.
Even when disposed of properly, they take many years to decompose and break down, generating large amounts of garbage over long periods of time. If not disposed of properly the bags can pollute waterways, clog sewers and have been found in oceans affecting the habitat of animals and marine creatures.
Two primary kinds of direct damage to wildlife are entanglement and ingestion. Wildlife animals or birds can become entangled. When the animals or birds are entangled they drown or cannot fly due to entanglement. Plastic bags are often ingested by animals because they cannot distinguish whether is it food or not. As a result, it clogs their intestines which results in death by starvation. Plastic bags can block drains, trap birds and kill livestock. The World Wide Fund for Nature has estimated that over 100,000 whales, seals, and turtles die every year as a result of eating or being trapped by plastic bags. In India, an estimated number of 20 cows die per day as a result of ingesting plastic bags and having their digestive systems clogged by the bags. It is also very common across Africa to have sewers and drain systems clogged by bags which cause severe cases of malaria due to the increased population of mosquitoes that live on the flooded sewers. The term "white pollution" has been coined in China to describe the local and global effects of discarded plastic bags upon the environment.
Lightweight plastic bags are also blown into trees and other plants and can be mistaken for flowers by animals affecting their diet. Plastic bags break down, but they never biodegrade. As a result, any toxic additives they contain--including flame retardants, antimicrobials, and plasticizers--will be released into the environment. Many of those toxins directly affect the endocrine systems of organisms, which control almost every cell in the body. Research shows the average operating "lifespan" of a plastic bag to be approximately 20 minutes. Plastic bags can last in landfill - an anaerobic environment - for up to 1000 years.
The plastic bags that gets dumped in the Pacific Ocean would all eventually end up in the Great Pacific garbage patch. 80% of the plastic waste comes from land while the rest of the 20% comes from oil platforms and ships. The waste in the Pacific Ocean are bigger than dumps in land which makes it an issue for marine animals. This large amount of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean could be eaten up by marine animals, and this will end up blocking up their breathing passages and stomach. Plastic bags not only stay in the Great Pacific garbage patch, it could be washed back up to shore in beaches around the world.
Maps Phase-out of lightweight plastic bags
Regional developments
Africa
Benin
Benin reportedly banned plastic bags in November 2017.
Botswana
Botswana introduced a levy on plastic bags that became effective in 2007. This led to many retailers charging a fee on plastic bags and consequently a reduction in plastic bag use.
Cameroon
Cameroon outlawed disposable plastic in April 2014. There are problems considering black market activities.
Chad
There is a plastic bag ban in N'Djamena.
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo banned plastic bags in 2011.
Eritrea
Eritrea banned plastic bags in 2005.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia has banned the production of certain types of plastic bags.
Gabon
Gabon has had a plastic bag ban since 2010.
Gambia
Gambia banned plastic bags in 2015.
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau banned plastic bags in 2016, but the legislation has been poorly enforced.
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast banned plastic bags in 2014, but it was controversial with water sellers.
Kenya
Kenya tried to ban manufacture and import of plastic bags in the year 2007 and 2011 as a way to protect the environment. The 2007 and 2011 ban intended for plastics below 30 microns failed after manufacturers and retail outlets threatened to pass on the cost of using other materials to consumers. In 2017 the cabinet secretary of Environment and Natural resources, Prof Judy Wakhungu banned use, manufacture and importation of all plastic bags used for commercial and household packaging under Gazette notice number 2356. On 28 August 2017 Kenya begun implementing a countrywide ban of single-use plastic bags.Primary packaging bags, hospital waste bags, and garbage bin liners having been exempted from the ban.The ban has been hailed to be amongst the most stringent in the world. This includes a decision to imprison anyone involved in the creation or import of plastic bags for upwards of four years or will be forced to pay a fine between $19,000 and $38,000. Kenya joins more than 40 other countries to ban plastic bags.The government has promised to ban disposable plastic items in the near future
Madagascar
Madagascar introduced a plastic bag ban in 2015.
Malawi
Malawi introduced a plastic bag ban in 2015.
Mali
Mali has banned plastic bags.
Mauritania
Mauritania banned the use, manufacture and import of plastic bags from January 2013 as a way to protect the environment, livestock, and marine species.
Morocco
Morocco passed a law in October 2015 banning the use of plastic bags nationwide. The law officially came into effect on 1 July 2016. Before the ban, Morocco was the 2nd largest consumer of plastic bags in Africa and the second in the world per capita after the United States.
Mozambique
Mozambique has had a plastic bag charge since 5 February 2016.
Niger
Niger has a plastic bag ban in force.
Rwanda
Rwanda prohibited shops from giving away plastic bags to their customers in 2004. In 2008, Rwanda completely banned plastic bags as part of its Vision 2020 plan for sustainability, though there is a lucrative black market for the now banned product. The Rwandan government gave tax breaks for companies to recycle instead of manufacture plastic bags, and created a new market for environmentally friendly bags. The lack of plastic bags has made Rwandan cities such as Kigali cleaner.
Senegal
Senegal has banned plastic bags in April 2015.
Somalia
Plastic bags were banned in the self-declared Republic of Somaliland on 1 March 2005 after a 120-day grace period that the government had given to the public to get rid of their stocks. The Ministry of Trade and Industries announced the cabinet decision in a decree titled: "Banning importation, production and use of plastic bags in the country". The bags had been nicknamed "the Hargeysa flower", as many of them ended up being blown around and getting stuck in trees and shrubs, posing a danger to livestock because the animals that feed on the leaves often ingest the bags accidentally. In 2015 the ban was repeated by Presidential Decree No. #JSL/M/XERM/249-3178/042015, again providing for a 120 days grace period to get rid of stocks. To ensure the implementation of the ban, the government constituted enforcement teams in 2016 to conduct special drives which launch probes into business stalls. At least 1000 men and women in uniform deployed into the main markets and shopping malls. The government announced fines against violators who continue selling plastic bags in the country.
South Africa
Plastic bags were a major concern in South Africa before the bag levy was introduced in 2004. The bags were never banned, but a levy was introduced, payable by the plastic bag manufacturer. The thicker plastic bags are levied and although this move initially caused outrage with consumers and an initial decline in volumes, consumers use has continually increased to several billion plastic shopping bags every year. http://www.econrsa.org/papers/p_papers/pp18.pdf
Tanzania
The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar banned plastic bags in 2005. Tanzania introduced a nationwide ban on plastic bags in 2006.
Tunisia
Tunisia introduced a ban on plastic bag distribution in supermarkets starting from 1 March 2017. An agreement was signed between the Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment and large supermarket chains in the country to enact the first phase of a process aiming to reduce the consumption of plastic bags. Tunisian activists are planning awareness campaigns to establish greener policies in the country.
Uganda
Uganda introduced legislation in 2007 to ban the sale of lightweight plastic bags under 30 µm thick and tax thicker bags at a punitive rate of 120%. Although the laws came into effect in September of that year, they have not been enforced and have failed to measurably reduce the use of plastic bags. The law is not well enforced.
Asia
Bangladesh
A strict ban was introduced in Bangladesh in 2002 after floods caused by littered plastic bags submerged two-thirds of the country in water between 1988 and 1998. Plastic bags remain a big problem for sewerage system and waterways.
Bhutan
Bhutan has banned plastic bags, but the legislation has not been very effective so far.
Cambodia
Cambodia passed the legislation to impose plastic bag tax in October 2017. Supermarkets now are charging customers 400 Riels (10 US cents) per plastic bag should they need one.
China
A total plastic bag ban on ultra thin plastic bags and a fee on plastic bags was introduced in China on 1 June 2008. This came into effect because of the problems with sewerage and general waste. One 2009 survey suggests that plastic bag use fell between 60 and 80% in Chinese supermarkets, and 40 billion fewer bags were used. However, first hand accounts clearly indicate, the ban has seen limited success, and that the use of plastic bags remains prevalent. Street vendors and smaller stores, which make up a significant portion of retail in China, do not abide by the policy in part due to difficulties of enforcing the ban.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong forbids retailers from giving plastic bags under a certain thickness and for free. A 50 cent plastic bag levy was implemented on 1 April 2015 across Hong Kong. The use of plastic bags dropped 90% after the introduction of the levy. Signs show that Hong Kong is phasing out the use of plastic bags at a dramatic rate.
India
In 2002, India banned the production of plastic bags below 20 µm in thickness to prevent plastic bags from clogging of the municipal drainage systems and to prevent the cows of India ingesting plastic bags as they confuse it for food. However, enforcement remains a problem.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has also passed regulation to ban all polythene bags less than 50 microns on 18 March 2016. Due to poor implementation of this regulation, regional authorities(states and municipal corporations), have had to implement their own regulation.
In 2016, Sikkim, India's first fully organic state, banned the use of not only packaged drinking water bottles in any government meetings or functions but also food containers made from polystyrene foam all over the state.
Himachal Pradesh was the first state to ban plastic bags less than 30 µm. The Karnataka state became first state to ban all forms of plastic carry bags, plastic banners, plastic buntings, flex, plastic flags, plastic plates, plastic cups, plastic spoons, cling films and plastic sheets for spreading on dining tables irrespective of thickness including the above items made of thermacol and plastic which uses plastic micro beads. The state of Goa has banned bags up to 40 µm thick, while the city of Mumbai bans bags below a minimum thickness to 50 µm.
The state Government of Maharashtra banned plastic starting 23 June 2018.
Indonesia
Starting in 2016, Environment Ministry enforced retailers in 23 cities across the archipelago (mini-market, hypermarket, and supermarket) to charge consumers for plastic bags between Rp.200 and Rp.5,000 for each bag including degradable plastic bags. And money which came from tax are used by retailers as public funds for waste management alongside non-governmental organizations.
Israel
Since January 2017, large retailers are required to charge consumers for plastic bags with handles, at NIS 0.10 for each bag. The tax revenues will be used to fund public waste-management programs. The average use of plastic bags in Israel in 2014 was 275 per person per year. Four months after the law came into force, the number of disposable plastic bags distributed by retailers subject to the law had dropped by 80%.
Japan
Legislation in Japan varies by region, from outright bans to none at all.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is considering a plastic bag ban.
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan is considering a plastic bag ban.
Malaysia
A tax on plastic bags applies in Penang, while a similar tax in the state of Selangor applies only on Saturdays, since 2011.
Myanmar
In 2009, plastic bag factories in Rangoon were ordered by local authorities to stop production by the end of November or face heavy punishment, as the Burmese government looked to ban plastic bags. Rangoon was thus following in the footsteps of central Burma's Mandalay and the new capital Naypyidaw, both of which had eliminated plastic bags.
Nepal
Nepal has banned plastic bags, but the legislation is poorly enforced.
Pakistan
There are plastic bag bans in parts of Pakistan, but there is poor enforcement.
Philippines
There is a plastic bag ban in Manila, but it is poorly enforced.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka banned plastic bags in 2017 due to a waste crisis.
Taiwan
In January 2003, Taiwan banned the free distribution of lightweight plastic bags. The ban prevented the owners of department stores, shopping malls, hypermarkets, convenience stores, fast food restaurants and regular restaurants from providing free plastic bags to their customers. Many stores have replaced plastic with recycled paper boxes. In 2006, however, the administration decided to begin allowing free plastic bags to be offered by food service operators. In Feb. 2018, Taiwan announced plans to ban plastic bags in varying degrees, banned for in-store use by 2019, certain stores prohibited from offering bags by 2020, price increases starting 2025, then 2030 blanket ban of single-use plastic bags, as well as single-use utensils and containers.
Europe
European Union
In November 2013, the European Commission published a proposal aiming to reduce the consumption of lightweight (thickness below 50 microns) plastic carrier bags. Under the proposal, EU member states can choose the most appropriate measures to discourage the use of plastic bags. On 29 April 2015 the European Parliament passed Directive 2015/720 to reduce plastic bag use by 50% by 2017 and 80% by 2019.
Austria
Austria has a voluntary agreement in place whereby retailers apply a charge to bags.
Belgium
Belgium has plastic bag bans in place in Wallonia and Brussels, with bans set to also be introduced to Flanders.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria has seen a significant reduction in use since applying a charge to plastic bags.
Croatia
Croatia is planning on introducing a plastic bag charge in 2019.
Cyprus
Cyprus introduced a bag charge on 1 January 2018, though shops were reportedly ignoring the new law. Shops will be penalised for handing out free bags after 1 July 2018.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic has a plastic bag levy in place.
Denmark
In 2003, Denmark introduced a tax on retailers giving out plastic bags. This encouraged stores to charge for plastic bags and pushed the use of reusable bags. It was thought that this saved about 66% of plastic and paper bags. In 2004, a similar law was passed by the Inatsisartut in Greenland, which applied a recycling tax on plastic bags. By 2014 Denmark had the lowest plastic bag use in Europe, with 4 bags per person per year, compared to 466 in Portugal, Poland and Slovakia.
Estonia
Estonia introduced a bag tax in July 2017.
Finland
Finland applies a tax to plastic bags through a voluntary agreement.
France
Following a National Assembly vote on 11 October 2014, France banned plastic carrier bags under 50 microns starting 1 July 2016. Produce bags are banned starting 1 January 2017. Re-usable or compostable bags are allowed.
Georgia
Georgia has reportedly banned plastic bags, as of 2017.
Germany
Germany imposes a fee on excess packaging through its Green Dot program, which included plastic bags. In addition, all stores in Germany that provide plastic bags must pay a recycling tax.
An agreement was signed between trade representatives and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety in April 2016 to reduce plastic bags, excepting thin bags for fruit and vegetables, bags for deep-freeze products and long-term usable bags, resulting in many shops no longer offer such plastic bags free of cost since July 2016. Should the goal not be achieved, it is foreseen that a law may be passed banning shops from handing them out. The political background to this is a recent change to the European directive 94/62/EG that obliges the member states to reduce the yearly number of plastic bags per capita down to maximally 90 by end-2019 and to maximally 40 by end-2025, whereas Germany had been using 70 bags per capita so far.
Greece
A plastic bag charge was introduced on 1 January 2018. Bags cost 4 cents each, which will then increase to 7 cents on 1 January 2019.
Hungary
Hungary has a voluntary agreement with retailers whereby they apply a charge to bags.
Ireland
Ireland introduced a EUR0.15 tax in March 2002. Levied on consumers at the point of sale, this led to 90% of consumers using long-life bags within a year. The tax was increased to EUR0.22 in 2007. The revenue is put into an Environment Fund.
Italy
In January 2011, Italy banned the distribution of lightweight plastic bags that are not from biodegradable sources.
Latvia
Latvia will introduce a bag charge on 1 January 2019.
Lithuania
Lithuania will introduce a bag charge on 31 December 2018.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg applies a tax to plastic bags.
Malta
Malta has had an eco-tax on plastic bags since 2009, but it is poorly enforced.
Moldova
The Moldovan parliament has passed legislation banning plastic bags. It came into force for larger retailers in 2017, and is scheduled to come into force for medium-sized retailers on 1 January 2018 and for small retailers in 2020.
Netherlands
The Netherlands implemented a comprehensive ban on free plastic shopping bags on 1 January 2016. The ban has a small number of exemptions for unpacked food products which are exposed to possible contamination, such as fresh fruit. The target price for a plastic bag is EUR0.25.
Norway
Norway has a voluntary agreement with retailers whereby they apply a charge to bags.
Poland
It has been reported that Poland introduced a plastic bag charge at the beginning of 2018.
Portugal
Portugal has implemented a plastic bag tax amounting to 10 cents (EUR) on single-use carrier bags, which led to a reduction of 90% in their use. However, many retailers started selling thicker (reusable) plastic bags, which are not subject to the tax, for the same amount. Before the Portuguese government implemented this plastic bag tax, some supermarkets in Portugal had already implemented a 2 cent (EUR) fee on each plastic bag. In Madeira Island where supermarkets implemented this bag fee, there was a 64% reduction in plastic bag consumption.
Romania
A law was introduced in 2006 (law 578/2006) - and was later modified in 2011 (law 1032/2011) - that puts a mandatory tax on non-biodegradable plastic bags. The modification in 2011 reduced the tax on plastic bags and was regarded by some as a step backwards from environmental protection.
Serbia
Serbia has a tax on manufacturers and importers of plastic bags.
Slovakia
Slovakia has an obligatory charge for certain types of plastic bags. The charge was introduced on 1 January 2018.
Slovenia
Slovenia plans to ban free lightweight plastic bags from 1 January 2019.
Spain
Spain introduced a plastic bag charge on 1 July 2018. Catalonia has had a bag charge since April 2017.
Sweden
Sweden has a plastic bag levy in place.
Switzerland
In 2016, the two largest chains of supermarkets in Switzerland, the Federation of Migros Cooperatives and Coop, announced that they will progressively stop to distribute free plastic bags (at the check-out). Both distributors announced that they will not make money with paid bags, but that profits from their sale will be invested in environmental projects.
Migros previously tested the measure in the Canton of Vaud since 2013: they reduced the number of plastic bags distributed by ninety percent (and saved 100,000 francs per year). Migros will be the first to introduce the measure across the country, on 1 November 2016 (the bags will be made with recycled plastic and cost 0.05 Swiss francs each). Coop plans to introduce this in 2017.
Turkey
Plastic bags are banned is some parts of Turkey and a levy was scheduled to be introduced nationally in January 2018.
United Kingdom
The Climate Change Act 2008 served as the legislative framework for the regulation of plastic bags in the United Kingdom.
Wales
Wales introduced a legal minimum charge of 5 pence for almost all single use bags in October 2011. Paper and biodegradable bags are included in the charge as well as plastic bags, with only a few specific exemptions - such as for unpackaged food or medicine supplied on an NHS prescription. VAT raised from the charge is collected by the government. Retailers are asked to pass the rest of the proceeds on to charities. July 2012 statistics released by the Welsh Government suggested that carrier bag use in Wales had reduced 96% since the introduction of the charge.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland introduced a 5 pence levy on almost all single use bags on 8 April 2013. The levy will be extended to reusable carrier bags with a retail price of less than 20 pence from 19 January 2014 as data from a number of retailers indicate that reusable bag sales have increased by 800% since the introduction of the levy on single use bags. The proceeds of the levy (£4.17m in 2013/14) are paid to the Department of the Environment and used to fund local environmental projects and enforce the levy. Official statistics for the Northern Ireland levy show that the number of single use bags dispensed fell from around 300 million in 2012/13 to 84.5 million in 2013/14 - a reduction of 72%.
Scotland
A five pence minimum charge for single-use carrier bags came into force in Scotland on 20 October 2014. The proceeds of the charge can be used by the retailers as they see fit, although retailers are encouraged to pledge to donate proceeds to "good causes". The charge is not exclusive to plastic bags, and includes biodegradable bags, such as paper. Bags for unpackaged food, loose seeds, soil-contaminated goods, axes, knives or blades; drugs or medical appliances; small packaged uncooked fish, meat or poultry; aquatic animals; purchases made in aerodrome security restricted areas; or goods bought on board a ship, train, aircraft, coach or bus are exempt from the charge.
England
England was the last country in the United Kingdom to adopt the 5 pence charge., with the levy taking effect on 5 October 2015. Prior to the introduction of plastic bag regulations, various retailers participated in voluntary actions to reduce plastic bag consumption.
Unlike the rest of the UK, the English charge does not apply to paper bags or bags made from other natural materials. As with the other nations, VAT raised on sales will be collected by the Government. Retailers can choose how the money raised from bag sales is used. The Government publishes information yearly on the scheme, encouraging retailers to donate the proceeds to charities.
In the first 6 months, 640 million plastic bags were used in seven major supermarkets in England, raising £29.2 million for good causes. England reported to have distributed 0.6 billion single-use bags during the first half year of the charge, 7 billion fewer than were distributed in 2014.
To promote the growth of new businesses in England, retailers with less than 250 employees are exempt from the charge. Opponents to the exemption of small retailers argued that this exemption would diminish the environmental impact of the charge. In response to this criticism, in January 2018 the UK government announced plans to extend the charge to all retailers.
North America
Antigua and Barbuda
There is a plastic bag ban in place in Antigua and Barbuda.
Bahamas
The Bahamas government has announced a plan to ban plastic bags by 2020.
Belize
Belize has pledged to ban plastic bags by 22 April 2019 (Earth Day).
Canada
In March 2007, the small town of Leaf Rapids, Manitoba, became the first community in North America to ban bags.
The Toronto City Council voted on 6 June 2012, to ban plastic bags effective 1 January 2013, and to scrap the city's five-cent bag fee starting 1 July 2012. Industry groups have convinced city officials to include a grace period between 1 January 2013, and 30 June 2013, when no fines, only warnings, can be issued. The bag ban and five cent fee (six cents with HST) have both been overturned as of 28 November 2012 and it's up to individual retailers if they want to charge for plastic bags. Most stores, with the exception of a few national retailers do not charge.
Guatemala
A few municipalities in Guatemala have banned plastic bags, including San Pedro La Laguna, Acatenango,Villa canales, San Miguel Petapa and Totonicapan.
Haiti
Haiti has banned plastic bags.
Jamaica
There is a working group examining a state motion to ban plastic bags in Jamaica.
Mexico
Mexico approved legislation to ban and fine plastic bags in August 2010. However, the legislation is not observed. Mexico City banned plastic bags in 2010, but plastic bags remain one of Mexico's biggest pollution problems. The city of Querétaro banned plastic bags in 2017.
Panama
Panama's Assembly has passed legislation banning plastic bags. The law was sanctioned by the president in January 2017 and retailers have until January 2020 to phase out their existing stock.
United States
There is no national plastic bag fee or ban currently in effect in the United States. However, the state of California, and the territories of American Samoa and Puerto Rico have banned disposable bags. Over 200 counties and municipalities have enacted ordinances either imposing a fee on plastic bags or banning them outright, including all counties in Hawaii. Other attempts at banning plastic shopping bags statewide (for example in Massachusetts) have not succeeded mainly due to plastic industry lobbying. A few jurisdictions have chosen to implement a fee-only approach to bag reduction such as Washington, D.C. and adjacent Montgomery County, Maryland. Some US states, such as Florida and Arizona, have passed laws prohibiting bans on plastic bags statewide in order to prevent local municipalities from passing their own bans.
Notes
- 1 The City of Fort Collins, Colorado passed a 5¢ fee on single-use bags on 19 August 2014, and repealed it on 21 October 2014.
- 2 Although the state of Hawaii does not ban plastic bags, all of its local jurisdictions do, effectively banning them statewide.
California
Californians voted in November 2016 to approve state legislation banning plastic bags statewide in Propositions 67 and 65. Over 100 local laws with similar or tougher regulations will remain and supersede the statewide legislation.
Notes:
- 1 The San Mateo County Environmental Impact Report also studied six cities in neighboring Santa Clara County. Campbell, Los Altos, Los Gatos, and Mountain View opted to join San Mateo County's ordinance because of this.
Oceania
Australia
Although the nation does not ban lightweight bags, the states of South Australia, Tasmania, and the ACT and Northern Territory, along with some cities have independently banned the bag. Coles Bay, Tasmania was the first location in Australia to ban the bag. The introduction of the "Zero Waste" program in South Australia led to its lightweight bag ban in October 2008. It is estimated that 400 million bags are saved each year. Western Australia and Queensland banned them on 1 July 2018 and Victoria has announced it will introduce a ban in 2019.
In Australia, 6 billion HDPE bags were used in 2002. Usage reduced to 5.6 billion in 2004, and 3.9 billion in 2007.
New Zealand
Despite various attempts, as of 2015, no laws have been passed in New Zealand for a fee or ban on plastic bags.
Papua New Guinea
In 2015, Papua New Guinea announced a previous ban on non-biodegradable plastic shopping bags would be enforced starting 1 January 2016.
Vanuatu
Vanuatu banned plastic bags on 31 January 2018.
South America
Argentina
In 2012, the Buenos Aires city government allowed supermarkets to charge for plastic bags in order to discourage their use, which is said to have reduced their use by 50%. In 2016 the city announced a full ban on the distribution of plastic bags in supermarkets and hypermarkets, commencing 1 January 2017.
In 2009 the Governor of Buenos Aires Province, Daniel Scioli, approved Law 13868, which mandated that by the end of that year, all non-biodegradable plastic bags should be phased out in favour of degradable materials.
Other provinces like Neuquén, Chubut, Río Negro and cities like Rosario, Villa Gesell or Bariloche had already banned the distribution of plastic bags in supermarkets as well.
Bolivia
Plastic bags are banned in La Paz.
Brazil
Sao Paulo banned plastic bags in 2015.
Chile
Some 80 municipalities have restricted plastic bag distribution, while some coastal and lakeside areas have banned plastic bags altogether. In late May 2018, House of Representatives voted to ban plastic bags from major retailers nationwide, effective in a year, while smaller retailers will have a two-year window to phase out their use of plastic bags, during which time they'll limit two bags per customer.
Colombia
Colombia plans to reduce the use of plastic bags by 80% by the year 2020, and completely eliminate their use by the year 2025. On 29 April 2016, the Ministry of Environment passed a resolution banning plastic bags under 30 cm by 30 cm.
From 1 July 2017, the Colombian Government applies a tax of 20 pesos per plastic bag, with a planned annual increase of 10 pesos per bag until 2020.
Different methods of phase-out
Two of the most popular methods of phasing out lightweight plastic bags have been outlined above, including both fees and bans. The fee strategy is said to have all of the same results in plastic bag reduction as a plastic bag ban, with the additional benefit of creating a new revenue source. The plastic bag fee method also protects consumer choice, which the ban does not.
Recycling of plastic bags can be another method of phase-out. However, a big issue with recycling is that only 5% of plastic bags make it to recycling facilities to begin with. Even when bags are brought to these recycling bins and facilities, they often fly out of these bins or recycling trucks and end up as litter on the streets. Another issue with recycling is that different bags are made from different yet aesthetically similar types of plastics. Bags can be either made of bioplastics or biodegradable plastics, and if accidentally combined in a compost, the bioplastics could contaminate the biodegradable composting. These bags can also jam recycling equipment when mixed with other types of plastic, which can be costly to repair. Costs of repairs rounded out to be about $1 million per year in San Jose, California.
See also
- Biodegradable bags
- Phase-out of incandescent light bulbs
- Sustainability
- Waste management
- Reusable shopping bag
References
External links
- COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water
- EPHC on Plastic Bags
- Plastic Bag Ban Report | Plastic Bags, Ocean Debris & Environment
Source of article : Wikipedia
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