Ban could save 37 million barrels of oil and alleviate "white pollution"
China, the Olympics, and the Environment
As the world's eyes turn to Beijing for the Olympics, China struggles to reconcile its rapid growth with the health of its people and environment
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August 4, 2008
Yet, the ban enjoys enthusiastic support from many residents here, particularly students, who may not even recall the more traditional practice of cloth bags or baskets. "I will just carry the things by my hands," one young man told me on the campus of Shanghai International Studies University. "I will never use the plastic bags supplied in supermarkets and I'll ask my friends not to use them, too."
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16 Comments
Add CommentFunny, I used to think paper bags were just fine and shunned plastic bags for a long time, then gradually started using them exclusively. Longterm thinking obviously didn't go into their onetime use, just like styrofoam peanuts they're a pain to dispose of. Cloth bags were promoted for awhile, but never caught on, too much advance planning I guess. Besides, I almost always buy more than I plan to. Forcing people to relate to new realities is not very pleasant, but people invariably adapt to new situations.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have seen this kind of white pollution in South Africa in 2003. It is terrible that people dispose of their bags by letting the wind take care of them.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe argument that they "burn producing dangerous fumes" is not entirely true. If burnt with municipal waste under controlled conditions, this kind of plastic can actually serve proper electricity production and burn very cleanly.
I personally switched over completely to a folding shopping crate which I always have in my car.
All very interesting, but plastic bags are at best a third order environmental issue. In fact they are more environmentally responsible than many of the alternatives. See here http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/sec_content.asp?CID=1102&DID=5615 for some of the real facts about the use of plastic bags.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's pretty good for China. For now, as I know, many People shopping in supermarket in China have turned their not good habit to the better habit. Particularly those youth people quickly change their mind and bought many cloth bags in order to keep their stuff rather than using unbiogradual plastic bags!!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThat's really big change for China. Actually not just for China, everybody who still prefer to use plastic bags everyday, i urge u guys it's better to change ur action to keep our environment fine!!!
Thanks for covering this topic.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPlastic Bags are a good tool to bring attention to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
We most apply this to other areas of our consumerism as well.
www.goriseup.com has programs for schools to implement this into the curriculum.
As I have said to others, this reinforces the notion that China is essentially ungovernable. I believe many will still use the bags unless thre are massive prosecutions. Most jurisdictions plan and provide advice on alternatives when any thing of this nature is introduced.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisKind of interesting this is in the news today. Here an article about a high school kid who isolated a plastic eating bacteria. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pollution/Whizkid_makes_plastic_biodegradable_in_3_months/articleshow/3073683.cms
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow there is a solution and much better alternative to levying, recycling and reusable canvas grocery bags for those who forgets their canvas bag at home or in the car which is called "Bioplast Biodegradable Plastics."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBioplast is a manufacturing company of BIOPLAST Branded Biodegradable Garbage Bags and Fridge Bags for the household markets and for the industry as well as Biodegradable Carrier Bags and Vegy Bags for the retail sector using their own patented unique formula of bacteria enzyme base substrate as against starch base as used by other manufacturers world over which is not as strong or durable as polymer (plastic) bags and has a cost addition of 300%-400%.
Bioplast is the only Biodegradable technology in the world using bacteria enzyme base substrate which is 100% biodegradable within 6 months after disposal as per ASTM-D 5988-1996 and EN 13432:2000/ISO 14855 standards with the lowest cost addition.
http://www.bioplast.com.tr
We have prepared for the banning for several months. During these months, we tried not to use plastic bags as much as possible in our daily life. We took our own bags(of course, not plastic bags, but those cotton bags) with us when going shopping. I think we will do better!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI dont know what i will use for trash bags when they bann plastic bags at the store. I thought that the bags(plastics in general) dont decompose at all now that i hear that there is a time limit on their existance i dont think it is a big issue. I use at most 5 per week. But still the research will undoubtadly drive development in other areas such as solar pannels i hope. And better ways to decompose such things. From a different article they said they can cut the decomposition from 300 to 10 years. That is great. That is the ultimate recycling no?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI usually re-use them for trash bags. So where shoud the trash go if I don't use them?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe Earth has been facing immense pollution from our garbage and consumption. The latest deadly pollution is plastic bags that fill up the landfills. With plastic bags becoming a growing concern, <a href="http://www.ecotrendbags.com/products.html">cotton canvas bag</a> has become the new way to help stop the pollution.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWith plastic bag pollution being a rising concern, many shoppers need to start using reusable cotton <a href="http://www.ecotrendbags.com/products.html">canvas bags</a> in order to stop the pollution.
Plastic bag pollution is very deadly and takes hundreds of years to break down. Even if the component is broken done, the deadly chemicals will go into the ground and water system. By reducing the usage of plastic bag, Earth can recuperate. That's why cotton bags should be used world wide to help reduce the pollution.
It is our generation to stop the pollution and start using cotton <a href="http://www.ecotrendbags.com" >canvas bags</a> as the solution. With global warming going out of hand from gas exhaustion, we don't need any more problems especially plastic bags that are harmful when broken down naturally. These broken down elements cause sickness and destruction to the air, soil and water system.
Use cotton canvas bags starting today as a way to stop the plastic pollution that is becoming a major threat to the environment. Our lives are threatened ever more from the growing usage of plastic bags. It is time you bring a canvas bag to shopping the next time you go to a supermarket.
Please learn more at http://www.ecotrendbags.com/
The Earth has been facing immense pollution from our garbage and consumption. The latest deadly pollution is plastic bags that fill up the landfills. With plastic bags becoming a growing concern, <a href="http://www.ecotrendbags.com/products.html">cotton canvas bag</a> has become the new way to help stop the pollution.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWith plastic bag pollution being a rising concern, many shoppers need to start using reusable cotton <a href="http://www.ecotrendbags.com/products.html">canvas bags</a> in order to stop the pollution.
Plastic bag pollution is very deadly and takes hundreds of years to break down. Even if the component is broken done, the deadly chemicals will go into the ground and water system. By reducing the usage of plastic bag, Earth can recuperate. That's why cotton bags should be used world wide to help reduce the pollution.
It is our generation to stop the pollution and start using cotton <a href="http://www.ecotrendbags.com" >canvas bags</a> as the solution. With global warming going out of hand from gas exhaustion, we don't need any more problems especially plastic bags that are harmful when broken down naturally. These broken down elements cause sickness and destruction to the air, soil and water system.
Use cotton canvas bags starting today as a way to stop the plastic pollution that is becoming a major threat to the environment. Our lives are threatened ever more from the growing usage of plastic bags. It is time you bring a canvas bag to shopping the next time you go to a supermarket.
Please learn more at http://www.ecotrendbags.com/
In many countries politicians have ignored or seriously misunderstood oxo-biodegradable plastic,but in others governments have realised the role it can play. In the United Arab Emirates oxo-biodegradability is
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisnowcompulsory.
For a video of oxo-bio plastic degrading see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3TGqcpWJTM
It is a familiar misconception that plastic bags just break into small
pieces. When an oxo-biodegradable bag has fragmented it is no longer a plastic because its molecular structure has been completely changed.
It is then a material which can be bioassimilated in the environment, just like a leaf. However, if collected during its useful life, oxo-bio plastic can be recycled just like normal plastic
(http://www.biodeg.org/position-papers/recycling/?domain=biodeg.org )
China has never been considered an environmental role model. I used to think paper bags were just fine and shunned plastic bags for a long time, then gradually started using them exclusively. When burnt, they produce poisoning smoke, and if buried underneath the ground they need more than 300 years to be degraded. Webmaster done great job & well maintain. This post or information is really helpful for me thanks.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this<a href="http://maxpak.com.au/blog/disposable-gloves-latex-gloves-part-i/">latex gloves</a>
China has never been considered an environmental role model. I used to think paper bags were just fine and shunned plastic bags for a long time, then gradually started using them exclusively. When burnt, they produce poisoning smoke, and if buried underneath the ground they need more than 300 years to be degraded. Webmaster done great job & well maintain. This post or information is really helpful for me thanks.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://maxpak.com.au/blog/category/vinyl-gloves/