The National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and seven other ministries jointly introduced a guiding document, which stated non-degradable plastic bags will be banned in a majority of cities from Jan 1, 2021.
Ban on single-use plastics
All supermarkets and stores are required to charge customers for plastic bags, but the latest move shows the authorities’ determination to reduce white pollution by putting an end to the use of plastic bags altogether.
The move found widespread support on social networking sites, as more people are waking up to the importance of getting rid of plastic garbage.
People who are accustomed to getting a plastic bag after buying goods in the supermarket will now have to look for degradable ones, if they are available.
Enterprises that produce non-degradable, disposable plastic bags will have to start producing degradable ones or go out of business.
In the past, a great many people used to use disposable plastic bags for shopping and other purposes. However, the excessive use of disposable plastic bags has led to great damages both to environment and to people’s health.
On the one hand, it takes about 200 years for a buried plastic bag to decompose and be absorbed by the soil. On the other hand, the use of disposable plastic bags will
indirectly do harm to people’s health, which is less known to the public. Sometimes people buy hot food packed into disposable plastic bags to save the time and labor in washing their dining utensils. Yet they are not informed of the chemicals in the bags will release in high temperature. Therefore, they are eating the poisonous stuff while enjoying the tasty food.
It’s enlightening and significant that our government has banned the free provision of disposable plastic bags in supermarkets. Trial practice has shown considerable reduction in the consumption of bags. In a word, fewer plastic bags will bring us the sustainable development of our earth.
Post time: Sep-01-2021