Many citizens still choose to buy shopping bags when they go to supermarkets.

Some citizens choose to bring their own shopping bags when they go shopping.

Shopping bags, takeaway bags, online shopping bags... Ms. Yang, a Chengdu citizen, is confused. The plastic ban has been in place for so long, why are there more plastic bags at home than before?
In 2008, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Notice on Restricting the Production, Sale and Use of Plastic Shopping Bags" (referred to as the "Plastic Ban"), hoping to raise public environmental awareness and reduce the use of plastic bags through the paid use of plastic bags system.
Ten years later, how effective is the "Plastic Ban"? Reporters from West China Metropolis Daily and Cover News conducted an investigation.

Discussion
Some citizens reported
There are more plastic bags at home

At 2 p.m. on October 9, a supermarket in Jinjiang District, Chengdu was crowded with people. Some people carried plastic bags to pack food, while others carried cloth bags to settle accounts.
As of this year, the "plastic restriction order" has been in place for 10 years. Has the use of plastic bags really decreased? The reporter randomly asked 50 citizens of different ages to hear what they said.

Citizen Ms. Wei:
Support bringing your own eco-friendly bags

Since supermarkets began charging for shopping bags in 2008, Ms. Wei has developed the habit of bringing her own shopping bags. On the one hand, it can save the cost of plastic bags, and on the other hand, it can be considered as protecting the environment. I haven't bought shopping bags for a long time.
During the reporter's visit, about 40% of the citizens chose to bring their own eco-friendly bags for shopping.

Citizen Mr. Wang:
Rather spend money to buy plastic bags

Unlike Ms. Wei, Chengdu citizen Mr. Wang still prefers to spend money to buy plastic bags at the end of shopping. He believes that it is still too troublesome to bring your own, and the most expensive one to buy now is only 50 cents, so it is more convenient to buy them.
There are also many citizens who share the same view as Mr. Wang. Most of them are unwilling to bring eco-friendly bags because it is inconvenient.

Citizen Ms. Yang:
There are more and more plastic bags at home

However, some citizens also admit that even if they pay attention to using eco-friendly bags, the plastic bags at home will still pile up more and more. Ms. Yang is one of them.
Ms. Yang recalled that with the increase of environmental awareness, she would bring her own eco-friendly bags when shopping, but she would still generate a lot of plastic bags when eating takeout and shopping online. Over time, there are more plastic bags at home than before the "plastic ban" was implemented.

Survey
The "plastic ban" is effective
but it also faces new difficulties

Has the use of plastic bags really decreased? Or, as Ms. Yang experienced, has it increased?
Reporters from West China Metropolis Daily and Cover News conducted an investigation and found that with the implementation of the "Plastic Ban", the overall use of plastic bags in China has been on a downward trend, but new difficulties have emerged in recent years.
According to data released by the National Development and Reform Commission in 2017, since the implementation of the "Plastic Ban", the use of plastic shopping bags in major retail outlets in China has decreased by an average of 200,000 tons per year, with a cumulative reduction of more than 1.6 million tons, saving 70 billion plastic bags, equivalent to saving 9 million tons of oil, more than 13 million tons of standard coal, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 30 million tons.
In other words, the implementation of the "Plastic Ban" has indeed been effective. However, due to the public's lack of environmental awareness and the rise of the Internet, industries such as takeout and online shopping have become major users of plastic.
Industry insiders pointed out that compared with large supermarkets and chain convenience stores that have the strictest implementation of the "Plastic Ban", the consumption of plastic bags by groups such as takeout and online shopping should not be underestimated. Take takeaways as an example. Almost all takeaways use 1 to 2 plastic shopping bags, and these plastic bags are not charged separately, nor are they included in the consumption vouchers, not to mention other plastic products.

Experts
It is unrealistic to simply ban them
The development of degradable plastics is the key

How to solve the new dilemma? In this regard, Che Zhenming, a professor at the School of Food and Bioengineering of Xihua University, believes that the development of degradable plastics is the most fundamental solution.
"There is no doubt that plastic bags do bring a lot of convenience to people. Even if more than half of consumers can bring their own environmentally friendly bags, as long as there is no more convenient alternative on the market, plastic bags will continue to flood and be used for a long time." He said, therefore, it is unrealistic to simply restrict and ban their use. "This will have a certain effect, but the effect will not be very obvious."
In contrast, the development of degradable plastics is the most fundamental approach. "This kind of plastic is more environmentally friendly and can be decomposed by microorganisms after a period of time." Che Zhenming said that once more environmentally friendly plastic bags become popular, the use of general plastic bags will naturally decrease.
"At present, biodegradable plastics have appeared, but the cost is still very high. The next step is to improve the technology and control the cost within an acceptable range for people." He said that with the popularization of environmental protection knowledge, more people will use biodegradable plastics, which will achieve a win-win situation of convenience and environmental protection.

Plastic Industry Video