By CGTN's Guan Yang
China introduced a nationwide ban on the use of ultra-thin plastic bags in 2008.
Nearly a decade since the policy was unwrapped, Chinese shopkeepers still use these banned ultra-thins to bag their wares up.
Nowhere is this failure more evident, perhaps, than Jilin Province, which has the country’s strictest restrictions on plastic bags. The production and sale of non-biodegradable plastic bags was banned there in 2015 – a rule that CGTN found remains largely ignored.
Shopkeepers in Changchun are still giving out plastic bags for free, ignoring the country's toughest ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags introduced in 2015. / CGTN Photo
Shopkeepers in Changchun are still giving out plastic bags for free, ignoring the country's toughest ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags introduced in 2015. / CGTN Photo
Non-biodegradable bags end up in landfills where they take 1,000 years to dissolve. And when they do they break down into tiny particles that pollute the soil and water.
Non-degradable bags end up in landfills, where they may take at least a thousand years to break down into smaller particles that continue to pollute the soil and water. / CGTN Photo
Non-degradable bags end up in landfills, where they may take at least a thousand years to break down into smaller particles that continue to pollute the soil and water. / CGTN Photo
“The ban is an administrative regulation, not a law! Also, the penalty for violating the ban is too little and not enough of a deterrent. That's why the ban has gradually lost its influence," said Ye Xinjiang, the director of a maker of bio-degradable packaging materials in the city of Changchun.
The director of a local bio-material packaging company in Changchun says the ban lacks teeth. / CGTN Photo
The director of a local bio-material packaging company in Changchun says the ban lacks teeth. / CGTN Photo
Another problem may be the bags themselves. Many shoppers may find bio-degradable bags as too flimsy to carry their precious groceries.
“Some of these bio-degradable bags are of poor quality. Customers often complain that the new carrier bags aren't strong enough,” said Jiang Xiaoli, manager of a big supermarket in Changchun.
A local supermarket manager tells CGTN environment-friendly bags aren't strong enough for many shoppers. / CGTN Photo
A local supermarket manager tells CGTN environment-friendly bags aren't strong enough for many shoppers. / CGTN Photo
Another obstacle in fully implementing the ban is that, even though Jilin has banned the production and sale of non-degradable plastic bags, nearby provinces have not.
Jilin province is surrounded by provinces that don't have the same regulations in place, so shops and department stores here can purchase non-degradable plastic bags from there instead. / CGTN Photo
Jilin province is surrounded by provinces that don't have the same regulations in place, so shops and department stores here can purchase non-degradable plastic bags from there instead. / CGTN Photo
"It takes time...before the ban can play its full role in enforcement. We believe as the technology develops, and as the administrative system is improved, the ban will be a success in the long run," said Song Gang, deputy director of the Development and Reform Commission in Jilin Province.
Song Gang, deputy director of the Development and Reform Commission in Jilin Province, talks to CGTN. / CGTN Photo
Song Gang, deputy director of the Development and Reform Commission in Jilin Province, talks to CGTN. / CGTN Photo
[]
