Plastic bag usage and the policies: A case study of China

Wang, Bairong; Li, Yong

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2021.03.010

Cited by 55 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…That is to say, as long as loopholes exist, people will exploit them to their best interests. However, what surprises us is the tiny increase in inner bag usage, i.e., 0.4%, which is quite different from observations from existing studies [11,29]. This is partially due to the complete ban of free inner bags within some grocery supermarkets.…”

Section: Effectiveness Of Tougher Plastics Ban Measurescontrasting

confidence: 78%

“…For these positive results, by no means are they achieved simply through the tougher 2021 policies. As shown in our previous study [29], the 2020 policies could boost people's usage of reusable bags by forbidding the usage of non-biodegradable plastic carrier bags and imposing high prices for biodegradable plastic carrier bags. The tougher 2021 policies continue to strengthen people's behavioral change that was already shaped by 2020 policies.…”

Section: Effectiveness Of Tougher Plastics Ban Measuresmentioning

confidence: 86%

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How Do Tougher Plastics Ban Policies Modify People’s Usage of Plastic Bags? A Case Study in China

Wang

Zhao

2021

IJERPH

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This study analyzes people’s bag usage before and after the introduction of the tougher 2021 plastics ban policies by counting the number of charged carrier bags, inner bags, old plastic bags, and reusable bags used by consumers at the exits of the investigated supermarkets in Shanghai, China. The results indicate positive effects of the tougher 2021 measures by observing significantly decreased usage of charged carrier bags by 46%, and significantly increased usage of old plastic bags and reusable bags by 117% and 36%, respectively. Policy execution loopholes are found in some supermarkets which do not follow the tougher plastics ban measures. Fortunately, the spill-over effects from tougher-measure-executing supermarkets fix this issue to some extent. Additionally, the tougher 2021 measures fail to be the most powerful impacting factor on people’s usage of each type of bag. To produce better plastics reducing results, other bag-targeted measures are necessary.

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Section: Effectiveness Of Tougher Plastics Ban Measurescontrasting

confidence: 78%

Section: Effectiveness Of Tougher Plastics Ban Measuresmentioning

confidence: 86%

How Do Tougher Plastics Ban Policies Modify People’s Usage of Plastic Bags? A Case Study in China

Wang

Zhao

2021

IJERPH

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“…The Chinese government introduced a national plastic ban law in 2008 and required all retailers to charge their consumers for the plastic carrier bags at the point of sale [ 18 ]. Moreover, plastic bags thinner than 25 microns are banned from use and only those thicker than 25 microns are allowed for production and circulation in China [ 19 ]. The reason to increase the thickness of circulated plastic bags is to make the plastic bags durable and therefore convenient for reuse.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 2020, the Chinese government upgraded the plastic ban law by requiring that by the end of 2020, all supermarkets in major cities are required to ban the usage of non-biodegradable plastic carrier bags, which are mainly made of plant based polylactic acid [ 20 ]. From 2020, the prices for carrier bags are also increased substantially to reduce people’s purchase of plastic bags and promote their reuse of old plastic bags [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Go Green and Recycle: Analyzing the Usage of Plastic Bags for Shopping in China

Wang

2021

IJERPH

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The extensive usage of plastic bags has caused detrimental environmental damage, and an influx of research efforts have been undertaken to reduce people’s usage of plastic bags. However, studies regarding people’s reuse of plastic bags are still scarce. Therefore, this study is motivated to bridge this research gap by examining the determinants of old plastic bag usage and consumers’ maximum willingness to pay price for plastic carrier bags via a semi-structured online survey on a random sample of 777 Chinese consumers. Descriptive summary, KW test, and logistic regression were used to identify potential determinants and their influence on consumers’ usage of old plastic bags. The findings indicate that consumers’ age, altruistic values, and their perceived plastic ban effectiveness are positively associated with the usage of old plastic bags. Specifically, the elder and altruistic consumers who are positive for plastic ban effectiveness are more likely to reuse old plastic bags. Furthermore, when plastic carrier bags are priced at RMB 2.0, 81.2% of the surveyed consumers say they will stop buying them. Based on the pricing setting experience from the Irish plastic bag policy, we suggest that the optimal price of plastic carrier bags is RMB 12.0, which is also six times of the consumer’s maximum willingness to pay price.

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“…In 2019, the amounts of plastic waste are about 63,000kt, including more than 20,000kt disposable plastic products such as plastic bags, agricultural film, packaging materials, bottles and launch boxes, which are the main sources of plastic pollution in China (Qi et al 2021 ). More seriously, disposable shopping bags are still free of charge in vegetable market, grocery, and restaurant (Wang and Li 2021 ). If each person uses 10 shopping bags every year, 14 billion shopping bags are consumed and nearly produce 54 million kilograms of plastic wastes if each plastic bag is 3 g. At the same time, with the rapid growth of express delivery service since 2010, the waste of express delivery packaging materials has surged from 0.2 million metric tons (Mt) in 2007 to 9.2 ± 5% Mt in 2018 in China (Su et al 2020 ).…”

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confidence: 99%

The Value of China’s Legislation on Plastic Pollution Prevention in 2020

Liu

Yue

et al. 2021

Bull Environ Contam Toxicol

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It has taken 12 years since 2008, but China is finally strengthening plastic pollution prevention and control through legislation. In an effort to regulate and control plastic products, China’s government amended and released a series of laws and regulations in 2020, possibly heralding the end of China’s plastic pollution. China’s plastic pollution legislation, while late, is a viable and right response to the severe environmental and ecology problem. Legislative progress in plastic pollution prevention has extended beyond China government’s administrative capability but has also been an important step in the protection of the environment in the world.

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Plastic bag usage and the policies: A case study of China

Cited by 55 publications

References 21 publications

How Do Tougher Plastics Ban Policies Modify People’s Usage of Plastic Bags? A Case Study in China

How Do Tougher Plastics Ban Policies Modify People’s Usage of Plastic Bags? A Case Study in China

Go Green and Recycle: Analyzing the Usage of Plastic Bags for Shopping in China

The Value of China’s Legislation on Plastic Pollution Prevention in 2020

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