Nine years later, China’s plastic-bag ban only looks good in theory

With the aim of reducing pollution and litter, in June 2008 China enacted a nationwide ban on retailers distributing free plastic bags, as well as the production, sales, and use of ultra-thin plastic bags in general. But nine years later, a group of environmentalists, officials, and even state media are questioning the ban’s effectiveness, according to Sixth Tone.

Many shopkeepers and street vendors are still using thin and flimsy plastic bags, violating the ban without any punishment. At supermarkets and shopping malls, customers can still get plastic bags by paying a fee of around 0.30 yuan ($0.04), and the ban has gradually turned into a profitable business. A commentary (in Chinese), published by People’s Daily on June 12, blames retailers’ pursuit of profits and the difficulty of changing consumer habits for the ban’s failure, and says that the burgeoning food delivery and courier industries are creating new problems.

Online, the ban has also drawn harsh criticism (in Chinese) from internet users, with many calling the ban “such a joke.” On the social media platform Weibo, one commenter wrote, “The decision makers didn’t use their brains in creating the ban, and they never asked the public’s opinions.”

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