Phase out of lightweight plastic bags

Issues

Plastic bags cause many minor and major issues in geographical terms. The most general issue with plastic bags is the amount of waste produced. Many plastic bags end up on streets and are considered by many to be aesthetically displeasing.

Even when disposed of properly, they take many years to decompose and break down, generating large amounts of garbage over long periods of time. If not disposed of properly the bags can pollute waterways, clog sewers and have been found in oceans affecting the habitat of animals and marine creatures.

Petroleum is used to produce plastic bags. A car would be able to drive 11 metres on the amount of petroleum used to make a plastic bag. Two primary kinds of direct damage to wildlife are entanglement and ingestion. Wildlife animals or birds can become entangled. When the animals or birds are entangled they drown or cannot fly due to entanglement. Plastic bags are often ingested by animals because they cannot distinguish whether is it food or not. As a result it clogs their intestines which results in death by starvation. Plastic bags can block drains, trap birds and kill livestock. The World Wide Fund for Nature has estimated that over 100,000 whales, seals, and turtles die every year as a result of eating or being trapped by plastic bags. In India, an estimated number of 20 cows die per day as a result of ingesting plastic bags and having their digestive systems clogged by the bags. It is also very common across Africa to have sewers and drain systems clogged by bags which cause severe cases of malaria due to the increased population of mosquitoes that live on the flooded sewers. The term "white pollution" has been coined in China to describe the local and global effects of discarded plastic bags upon the environment.

Lightweight plastic bags are also blown into trees and other plants and can be mistaken for flowers by animals affecting their diet. Plastic bags break down, but they never biodegrade. As a result, any toxic additives they contain—including flame retardants, antimicrobials, and plasticizers—will be released into the environment. Many of those toxins directly affect the endocrine systems of organisms, which control almost every cell in the body. Research shows the average operating 'lifespan' of a plastic bag to be approximately 20 minutes. Plastic bags can last in landfill – an anaerobic environment – for up to 1000 years.

The plastic bags that gets dumped in the Pacific Ocean would all eventually end up in the Great Pacific garbage patch. 80% of the plastic waste comes from land while the rest of the 20% comes from oil platforms and ships. The waste in the Pacific Ocean are bigger than dumps in land which makes it an issue for marine animals. This large amount of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean could be eaten up by marine animals, and this will end up blocking up their breathing passages and stomach. Plastic bags not only stay in the Great Pacific garbage patch, it could be washed back up to shore in beaches around the world.

Botswana

Botswana introduced a levy on plastic bags that became effective in 2007. This led to many retailers charging a fee on plastic bags and consequently a reduction in plastic bag use.

Eritrea

Eritrea banned plastic bags in 2005.

Kenya

Kenya banned the manufacture and import of plastic bags from January 2011 as a way to protect the environment. The 2007 ban intended for plastics below 30 microns failed after manufacturers and retail outlets threatened to pass on the cost of using other materials to consumers.

Mauritania

Mauritania banned the use, manufacture and import of plastic bags from January 2013 as a way to protect the environment, livestock, and marine species.

Morocco

Morocco passed a law in October 2015 banning the use of plastic bags nationwide. The law officially came into effect on July 1, 2016. Before the ban, Morocco was the 2nd largest consumer of plastic bags in the world after the United States.

Rwanda

Rwanda prohibited shops from giving away plastic bags to their customers in 2004. In 2008, Rwanda completely banned plastic bags as part of its Vision 2020 plan for sustainability, though there is a lucrative black market for the now banned product. The Rwandan government gave tax breaks for companies to recycle instead of manufacture plastic bags, and created a new market for environmentally friendly bags. The lack of plastic bags has made Rwandan cities such as Kigali cleaner.

South Africa

Plastic bags were a major concern in South Africa before the bag levy was introduced in 2004. The bags were never banned, but a levy was introduced, payable by the plastic bag manufacturer. The thicker plastic bags are levied and although this move initially caused outrage with consumers and an initial decline in volumes, consumers use has continually increased to several billion plastic shopping bags every year. http://www.econrsa.org/papers/p_papers/pp18.pdf

Tanzania

The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar banned plastic bags in 2005. Tanzania introduced a nationwide ban on plastic bags in 2006.

Tunisia

Tunisia introduced a ban on plastic bag distribution in supermarkets effective 1 March 2017. An agreement was signed between the Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment and large supermarket chains in the country to enact the first phase of a process aiming to reduce the consumption of plastic bags.

Uganda

Uganda introduced legislation in 2007 to ban the sale of lightweight plastic bags under 30 µm thick and tax thicker bags at a punitive rate of 120%. Although the laws came into effect in September of that year, they have not been enforced and have failed to measurably reduce the use of plastic bags.

Bangladesh

A strict ban was introduced in Bangladesh in 2002 after floods caused by littered plastic bags submerged two-thirds of the country in water between 1988 and 1998. Plastic bags remain a big problem for sewerage system and waterways.

China

A total plastic bag ban on ultra thin plastic bags and a fee on plastic bags was introduced in China on June 1, 2008. This came into effect because of the problems with sewerage and general waste. One 2009 survey suggests that plastic bag use fell between 60 and 80% in Chinese supermarkets, and 40 billion fewer bags were used. However, first hand accounts suggest the ban has seen limited success, and that the use of plastic bags remains prevalent. Street vendors and smaller stores, which make up a significant portion of retail in China, do not abide by the policy in part due to difficulties of enforcing the ban.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong forbids retailers from giving plastic bags under a certain thickness and for free. A $50 cents plastic bag levy was implemented on 1 April 2015 across Hong Kong. The use of plastic bags dropped 90% after the introduction of the levy. Signs show that Hong Kong is phasing out the use of plastic bags at a dramatic rate.

India

In 2002, India banned the production of plastic bags below 20 µm in thickness to prevent plastic bags from clogging of the municipal drainage systems and to prevent the cows of India ingesting plastic bags as they confuse it for food. However, enforcement remains a problem.

The MOEF <http://envfor.nic.in/> has also passed regulation to ban all polythene bags less than 50 microns on 18 March 2016<http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=138144>. Due to poor implementation of this regulation, regional authorities(states and municipal corporations), have had to implement their own regulation.

In 2016, Sikkim, India's first fully organic state, banned the use of not only packaged drinking water bottles in any government meetings or functions but also food containers made from polystyrene foam all over the state.

Himachal Pradesh was the first state to ban plastic bags less than 30 µm. The Karnataka state became first state to ban all forms of plastic carry bags, plastic banners, plastic buntings, flex, plastic flags, plastic plates, plastic cups, plastic spoons, cling films and plastic sheets for spreading on dining tables irrespective of thickness including the above items made of thermacol and plastic which uses plastic micro beads. The state of Goa has banned bags up to 40 µm thick, while the city of Mumbai bans bags below a minimum thickness to 50 µm.

Indonesia

Starting in 2016, Environment Ministry enforced retailers in 23 cities across the archipelago (mini-market, hypermarket, and supermarket) to charge consumers for plastic bags between Rp.200 and Rp.5,000 for each bag including degradable plastic bags. And money which came from tax are used by retailers as public funds for waste management alongside non-governmental organizations.

Israel

Starting in January 2017, a new bill will require big retailers to charge consumers for plastic bags, at 0.10Nis for each bag. The tax revenues will be used to fund public waste management programs. The average use of plastic bags in Israel in 2014 was 275 per person per year.

Malaysia

A tax on plastic bags applies in Penang, while a similar tax in the state of Selangor applies only on Saturdays, since 2011.

Myanmar

In 2009, plastic bag factories in Rangoon were ordered by local authorities to stop production by the end of November or face heavy punishment, as the Burmese government looked to ban plastic bags. Rangoon was thus following in the footsteps of central Burma's Mandalay and the new capital Naypyidaw, both of which had eliminated plastic bags.

Taiwan

In January 2003, Taiwan banned the free distribution of lightweight plastic bags. The ban prevented the owners of department stores, shopping malls, hypermarkets, convenience stores, fast food restaurants and regular restaurants from providing free plastic bags to their customers. Many stores have replaced plastic with recycled paper boxes. In 2006, however, the administration decided to begin allowing free plastic bags to be offered by food service operators.

European Union

In November 2013, the European Commission published a proposal aiming to reduce the consumption of lightweight (thickness below 50 microns) plastic carrier bags. Under the proposal, EU member states can choose the most appropriate measures to discourage the use of plastic bags. On 16 April 2014 the European Parliament passed a directive to reduce plastic bag use by 50% by 2017 and 80% by 2019.

Denmark

In 2003, Denmark introduced a tax to retails for giving out plastic bags. This encouraged stores to charge for plastic bags and pushed the use of reusable bags. It was thought that this saved about 66% of plastic and paper bags. In 2004, a similar law was passed by the Inatsisartut in Greenland, which applied a recycling tax on plastic bags. By 2014 Denmark had the lowest plastic bag use in Europe, with 4 bags per person per year, compared to 466 in Portugal, Poland and Slovakia.

France

Following a National Assembly vote on October 11, 2014, France banned plastic carrier bags under 50 microns starting July 1, 2016. Produce bags are banned starting January 1, 2017. Re-usable or compostable bags are allowed.

Germany

Germany imposes a fee on excess packaging through its Green Dot program, which included plastic bags. In addition, all stores in Germany that provide plastic bags must pay a recycling tax.

Ireland

Ireland introduced a €0.15 tax in March 2002. Levied on consumers at the point of sale, this led to 90% of consumers using long-life bags within a year. The tax was increased to €0.22 in 2007. The revenue is put into an Environment Fund.

Italy

In January 2011, Italy banned the distribution of lightweight plastic bags that are not from biodegradable sources.

Netherlands

The Netherlands implemented a comprehensive ban on free plastic shopping bags on January 1, 2016. The ban has a small number of exemptions for unpacked food products which are exposed to possible contamination, such as fresh fruit. The target price for a plastic bag is €0.25.

Romania

A law was introduced in 2006 (law 578/2006) - and was later modified in 2011 (law 1032/2011) - that puts a mandatory tax on non-biodegradable plastic bags. The modification in 2011 reduced the tax on plastic bags and was regarded by some as a step backwards from environmental protection.

Switzerland

In 2016, the two largest chains of supermarkets in Switzerland, the Federation of Migros Cooperatives and Coop, announced that they will progressively stop to distribute free plastic bags (at the check-out). Both distributors announced that they will not make money with paid bags, but that profits from their sale will be invested in environmental projects.

Migros preciously tested the measure in the Canton of Vaud since 2013: they reduced the number of plastic bags distributed by ninety percent (and saved 100,000 francs per year). Migros will be the first to introduce the measure across the country, on 1 November 2016 (the bags will be made with recycled plastic and cost 0.05 Swiss francs each). Coop plans to introduce this in 2017.

United Kingdom

Wales

Wales introduced a legal minimum charge of 5 pence for almost all single use bags in October 2011. Paper and biodegradable bags are included in the charge as well as plastic bags, with only a few specific exemptions – such as for unpackaged food or medicine supplied on an NHS prescription. VAT raised from the charge is collected by the government. Retailers are asked to pass the rest of the proceeds on to charities. July 2012 statistics released by the Welsh Government suggested that carrier bag use in Wales had reduced 96% since the introduction of the charge.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland introduced a 5 pence levy on almost all single use bags on 8 April 2013. The levy will be extended to reusable carrier bags with a retail price of less than 20 pence from 19 January 2014 as data from a number of retailers indicate that reusable bag sales have increased by 800% since the introduction of the levy on single use bags. The proceeds of the levy (£4.17m in 2013/14) are paid to the Department of the Environment and used to fund local environmental projects and enforce the levy. Official statistics for the Northern Ireland levy show that the number of single use bags dispensed fell from around 300 million in 2012/13 to 84.5 million in 2013/14 – a reduction of 72%.

Scotland

A five pence minimum charge for single-use carrier bags came into force in Scotland on 20 October 2014. The proceeds of the charge can be used by the retailers as they see fit. VAT will be collected by the government on every bag sold, although retailers are encouraged to pledge to donate proceeds to "good causes". The charge is not exclusive to plastic bags, and includes those which are biodegradable. Bags for unpackaged food, loose seeds, soil-contaminated goods, axes, knives or blades; drugs or medical appliances; small packaged uncooked fish, meat or poultry; aquatic animals; purchases made in aerodrome security restricted areas; or goods bought on board a ship, train, aircraft, coach or bus will be exempt from the charge.

England

England introduced a five pence minimum charge for single use plastic bags on 5 October 2015. It applies to retailers with more than 250 employees. Unlike the rest of the UK, the English charge does not apply to paper bags or bags made from other natural materials. As with the other nations, VAT raised on sales will be collected by the Government. Retailers can choose how the money raised from bag sales is used. The Government is however planning on publishing information yearly on the scheme, encouraging retailers to donate the proceeds to charities.

In the first 6 months, 640 million plastic bags were used in seven major supermarkets in England, which should have raised £32 million, for which no recipient charities have yet been identified. England reported to have distributed .6 billion single-use bags during the first half year of the charge. That is 7 billion bags less than the amount of bags that were distributed in 2014.

The Climate Change Act 2008 served as the legislative framework for the regulation of plastic bags in the United Kingdom. To promote the growth of new businesses in England, retailers with less than 250 employees are exempt from the charge. Opponents to the exemption of small retailers argue that this exemption will diminish the environmental impact of the charge.

England is the last country in the United Kingdom to adopt the 5 pence charge. Prior to the introduction of plastic bag regulations, various retailers participated in voluntary actions to reduce plastic bag consumption.

United States

There is no national plastic bag fee or ban currently in effect in the United States. However, the state of California, and the territories of American Samoa and Puerto Rico have banned disposable bags. Over 200 counties and municipalities have enacted ordinances either imposing a fee on plastic bags or banning them outright, including all counties in Hawaii. Other attempts at banning plastic shopping bags statewide (for example in Massachusetts) have not succeeded mainly due to plastic industry lobbying. A few jurisdictions have chosen to implement a fee-only approach to bag reduction by imposing a tax or a fee, such as Washington, D.C. and adjacent Montgomery County, Maryland. Some US states, such as Florida and Arizona, have passed laws prohibiting bans on plastic bags statewide in order to prevent local municipalities from passing their own bans.

Notes

California

Californians voted in November 2016 to approve state legislation banning plastic bags statewide in Propositions 67 and 65. Over 100 local laws will remain that will all supersede the statewide legislation.

Notes:

Canada

In March 2007, the small town of Leaf Rapids, Manitoba, became the first community in North America to ban bags.

The Toronto City Council voted on June 6, 2012, to ban plastic bags effective January 1, 2013, and to scrap the city's five-cent bag fee starting July 1, 2012. Industry groups have convinced city officials to include a grace period between January 1, 2013, and June 30, 2013, when no fines, only warnings, can be issued. The bag ban and five cent fee (six cents with HST) have both been overturned as of November 28, 2012 and it's up to individual retailers if they want to charge for plastic bags. Most stores, with the exception of a few national retailers do not charge.

Mexico

Mexico approved legislation to ban and fine plastic bags in August 2010. However, the legislation is not observed. Plastic bags are one of Mexico's biggest pollution problems.

Australia

Although the nation does not ban lightweight bags, the states of South Australia, Tasmania, and the ACT and Northern Territory, along with some cities have independently banned the bag. Coles Bay, Tasmania was the first location in Australia to ban the bag. The introduction of the "Zero Waste" program in South Australia led to its lightweight bag ban in October 2008. It is estimated that 400 million bags are saved each year.

In Australia, 6 billion HDPE bags were used in 2002. Usage reduced to 5.6 billion in 2004, and 3.9 billion in 2007.

New Zealand

Despite various attempts, as of 2015, no laws have been passed in New Zealand to ban or charge for plastic bags.

Papua New Guinea

In 2015, Papua New Guinea announced a previous ban on non-biodegradable plastic shopping bags would be enforced starting 1 January 2016.

Colombia

Colombia plans to reduce the use of plastic bags by 80% by the year 2020, and completely eliminate their use by the year 2025. On 29 April 2016, the Ministry of Environment passed a resolution banning plastic bags under 30 cm by 30 cm.

Argentina

In 2012, the Buenos Aires city government allowed supermarkets to charge for plastic bags in order to discourage their use, which is said to have reduced their use by 50%. In 2016 the city announced a full ban on the distribution of plastic bags in supermarkets and hypermarkets, commencing 1 January 2017.

In 2009 the Governor of Buenos Aires Province, Daniel Scioli, approved Law 13868, which mandated that by the end of that year, all non-biodegradable plastic bags should be phased out in favour of degradable materials.

Other provinces like Neuquén, Chubut, Río Negro and cities like Rosario, Villa Gesell or Bariloche had already banned the distribution of plastic bags in supermarkets as well.