Policies and implementations of reusable bags

‘White pollution’ situation becomes worse, people begin to re-examine the environmental problems caused by plastic bags. More and more countries and regions are actively taking measures to limit the use of plastic bags. The global community began to say ‘no’ to plastic bags.

Europe: gets remarkable results on ‘white pollution’. With the continued popularity of environmental protection concept, the EU countries have taken various measures to deal with the ‘white pollution’, and achieve remarkable results. Stimulate free plastic bags cause more pollution. Many EU countries, large-scale retail stores, began to stop providing free plastic bags. This proved to be deal with the "white pollution" an effective way.

In the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, following the large supermarket chains Carrefour to stop providing free plastic bags in 2006, the Del Hydes and GB supermarkets from July 2007 onwards, in addition non-packaged foods and frozen fruits and vegetables, but no longer provide free plastic bags for other commodities. Ask customers for plastic bags, the supermarket plastic bags the size and quality according to different charge 0.05 euros (about $ 0.07) to 1.69 euros ($ 2.6) per fee.

Since 2004, Belgium began to push the limits of plastic shopping bags to call for supermarkets and other shopping sites no longer provide free plastic bags, while the customer's first purchase with the bad, the supermarkets, and free trade. By 2010, these measures are all the supermarkets in Belgium Walloon response.

In EU countries, a growing number of large supermarkets is not only no longer a one-off free plastic bags, disposable bags, but also ask the customer to charge VAT reusable bag. As the plastic bags of different size and quality, the fees charged are not the same, if the customer purchased a 0.3 euros (0.46 dollars) in disposable plastic bags, then one of the 0.1 euros ($ 0.15) fee for the cost of 0.2 euros ($ 0.3) for green taxes, these costs will be for plastic recycling and processing.

Irish Environment Minister pointed out that the plastic bag tax, allowing the public to change behavior, recognizing the importance of environmental protection. He believes that the tax effect is immediately visible, its positive impact on the environment is obvious, because the Irish environmental authorities found that ‘white trash’s indeed reduced. It is through this approach, in recent years, Ireland is not only effective control of the "white trash", but also increase the tax, made a double benefit effect.

The EU also attaches great importance to plastics recycling, because of increased packaging waste recycling rate of packaging materials can not only reduce energy consumption, save construction costs of waste incineration site, you can also reduce the production of packaging materials caused by environmental pollution, effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Africa: Governance plastic bags with varying results. Rwanda, South Africa and Kenya in recent years, the three African countries have taken to reduce "white pollution" of the measures, the measures taken by the three countries vary, and the results are very different. Three measures of Rwanda is the most stringent. It began in 2005 prohibiting the use and production of the thickness of 100 microns or less plastic bags, and also prohibits supermarkets and farmers markets to provide customers with plastic bags.

Implementation of the ban on plastic bags in Rwanda was very strict, and some supermarkets have been provided to the customer for breach of regulations was ordered closed plastic bags. Implementation of the ban before, Rwanda has had to organize a nationwide large-scale activity to pick up plastic garbage. Rwandan capital, Kigali airport asked passengers to discard plastic bags or store in the airport, at the same time buy bags. He himself had been the work of staff at the airport, taking away the plastic bag. Today, Rwanda is Africa's most neat and clean one of the countries, which pays close attention to environmental management of the government of Rwanda are not unrelated.

South Africa has suffered the pain of plastic bag pollution, scattered on the highway next to the fence and trees on the beach bags everywhere. South Africa in May 2003 introduced legislation to prohibit the production and import less than 80 microns thickness of plastic bags, violators can be fined up to 10 million rand (about $ 13,000) fine, and possibly jail.

Kenyan government announced a ban on production and imports of ultra-thin plastic bags with thickness of less than 30 microns last year and taxes 120% for other plastic bags.. Nakumate is Kenya's largest supermarket, it has 19 stores across the country. Kenya, the’ plastic limit’ after the enactment of Nakumate introduced a blue non-woven bags produced, on the cash register, each customer can get a free shopping bag .Source: http://www.cnmhc.com