Way to go, China!

Posted on Jan 11, 2008 in Misc. | 4 comments

I came across this news in the Seattle Times yesterday: China is banning plastic bags (Other agencies have stories, too). That’s excellent news. Sure, the ban doesn’t take effect until June, and it only bans the thinnest plastic bags (but thicker bags must be paid for; they won’t be free). But it’s a start. And with China’s growing economy and affluence, nipping this environmental blight in the bud is commendable.

I’ve always been astounded by the number of plastic bags checkers stuff groceries into. Yes, a broken bag dumping your eggs and spaghetti sauce onto the parking lot pavement is not good. But does it happen often? No. But to ward off this threatannoyance, I’ve seen checkers put four cans of food into a bag and start a new one. Ever see them put a loaf of bread into a bag of its own so as not to squish it? C’mon.

Trader Joe’s started a trend a few years bag: a $3 canvas bag. The clientele at TJs is more progressive than others and this reusable bag took off (we have three, and know many that have a half-dozen or more). Fred Myers and some other grocers are getting into the game, too—and that’s a positive thing. As more and more stores offer these bags, the stigma of bringing your own bag will lessen. Isn’t it odd that we should feel awkward for bringing in a reusable bag? Doing so saves:

• the petroleum of producing and transporting the bag
• that bag from a landfill, recycling center, or (worse) polluting our environment
• the retailer money by not using that bag

China joins Bagladesh and some “30 remote Alaskan villages” that ban bags. Other countries, like South Africa and Ireland, tax these bags to discourage their use. The Chinese (at least those quoted in news stories) seems to be postive about the change:

“If we can reduce waste and save resources, then it’s good both for us and the whole world,” ~ college student Xu Lixian

Let’s hope the rest of the country joins San Francisco’s ban on thin plastic bags and that we’ll have as positive response as Xu Lixian.

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