The Chinese government is introducing a complete ban of those flimsy plastic bags you see in the supermarkets and such. I am usually against autocratic measures, or intrusion by governments in the private lives of the people and businesses, but the environmentalist in me is pleased.
It's quite upsetting to come across discarded bags wherever you go. We spend a lot of resources cleaning such garbage but you still see bags floating on streets - I have caught them in my undercarriage a number of times the most memorable being a yellow Dollar general bag that I carried from Atlanta to Indianapolis which was stuck to the suspension components in the front flapping incessantly.
The most unsightly display of these bags was on the banks of the Debed river. It is just bizarre to have an upscale hotel on the bank and then see the bags flapping on the tree branches or between rocks on the banks of the river.
They never existed in Austria, When I was there in 98 you could only purchase plastic bags in the supermarkets and it was pretty expensive( aroiung ($5). Many locals had their own bags and I had to use my hands and pockets.
ReplyDeleteIn my visit in 2003 , 2005 it was the same story but this time I carried my reusable bag (backpack).
I am against those plastic bags but they shouldnt be banned, instead people should be educated and given the option.
In the UK almost all supermarkets introduced reusable trendy bags, some also give extra points when you dont take a bag. I prefer the points and I prefer reusing my bags. I reuse a bag about 3 times.
In China it seems that the givernment people act as if they are smarter than anybody else. Thats called totalitarian regime and in China, a State capitalism.
It wouldnt upset me here if they banned them. I'm tired of having twenty bags because they put one item per bag. Cloth bags the size of old paper bags, with handles would be fine.
ReplyDeleteThere's a low cost supermarket chain in the US called Aldi. They do not use the cheap bags, instead they sell the sturdier kind. They also have a mechanism for depositing a quarter when you take a shopping cart which you get back when you return the cart.
ReplyDeleteNot surprisingly, you never see carts strewn around the parking lot, and never see Aldi plastic bags on the streets.