China's National Development and Reform Commission and the country's Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced a new policy prohibiting plastic bags across major cities. The new policy will take effect by the end of 2020.
By 2022, all cities and towns in the country should get rid of single-use plastic products and plastic waste should be reduced to as much as 30% by 2025. Wet markets selling raw produce will be exempted but only until 2025.
The prohibition should be strictly followed by all sectors across industries. For instance, the fast-food and restaurant sector should get rid of plastic products they use for takeaway food and. Restaurants should no longer be giving away single-use straws by 2020.
China will also no longer be importing plastic waste. At the same time, the country will ban use and production of plastic used in medical facilities.
Elsewhere, China is banning all production and sale of plastic bags that are less than 0.025 mm thick and any kind of plastic film less than 0.01 mm thick for agriculture use.
A recent paper from the World Economic Forum said that oceans around the world are overwhelmed by as much as 8 million metric tons of plastic waste. About 80% of the plastic that turned up in the ocean comes from land-based sources. Ten rivers in Asia bring 90% of that trash in the world's major oceans.
The WEF said plastic waste amounted to an estimated $80 to $120 billion per year. Worldwide, there are only about 9% of plastic products that go into the recycling process. That was a considerably small amount given that recycling a mere one metric ton of plastic reduces emissions by 1.1 to 3 tons.
Plastic waste is a far more complicated issue than already is. The material is an indispensable part of the world's economic growth. Plastic ensures that foods remain fresh and safe to eat. The plastic container also ensures a long life for drinking water.
A big part of the problem is that environmental alternatives for plastic cost 3.8 times higher.
Separately, a 2011 research paper argued that it takes more than four times as much energy to create a paper bag than to make a plastic bag. For one, hectares of trees are required to be cut down to produce enough paper bags. And the process does not stop there, because to make the actual paper bag, a higher concentration of toxic chemicals is needed for paper bags than when making plastics.
Taking into consideration the whole process, - logistics and the mere transportation of both raw and final products - paper bags require more carbon footprint.
