China Releases Standards for Plastic Bags
China has officially released its new standards for plastic bags. The standards, which will be implemented in June, are an attempt to help eliminate the devastating impact that plastic bags are having on the environment.
The new standards prevent supermarkets and other retailers from handing out colorized plastic bags. These bags are usually made from wasted plastics, which pollute the environment.
The standards also ban plastic bags less than 0.025 millimeters thick. The theory behind this is that, by having thicker bags, people are more likely to reuse their plastic bags. Many bags in China are currently only 0.001 to 0.020 millimeters thick.
As encouraging as it is to hear this news, it would be better if China could encourage larger eco-friendly shopping bags - such as reusable jute bags. Reusable bags like these can hold much more than plastic bags, and they can last for many years.
Tags: eco friendly bags, jute bags, plastic bags, reusable grocery bags, Sustainability
May 14th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
[…] to my post about China’s new standards for plastic bags, here’s an article in the China Daily about a new variety of plastic bag. These plastic bags […]
June 1st, 2008 at 3:02 am
[…] mentioned previously, China released new standards for plastic bags which will ban ultra thin plastic bags from being […]
June 5th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
[…] the lead up to China’s plastic bag ban, which commenced on June 1, there were many reports about mixed feelings. For example, although […]