Another Global War: Against Plastic Bags

It is interesting that the global war against plastic bags is progressing faster that the war against terror. I am proud to say that in India my hill state of Himachal Pradesh banned the use of plastic bags in 2003. However, the first city to do so in the country was Mumbai or Bombay in 2000 (now much in news for all the wrong reasons).

A BBC report says that in the US, San Francisco became the first city to ban plastic bags from large supermarkets and pharmacies in March 2007. Several months later the rest of California passed laws requiring large supermarkets to take back and recycle plastic bags.

A recent news comes from Canada where Loblaw Co, Canada’s biggest supermarket chain, has decided to charge customers a fee for every plastic shopping bag they use. The company, with more than 1,000 grocery stores across Canada, said the customers would have to pay 5 Canadian cents a bag on April 22, 2009, which is Earth Day.

“The company said it would also encourage customers to use alternatives to plastic bags and enhance its offer of affordable reusable bag options. Loblaw currently offers reusable fabric bags to its customers for a small fee.

“Loblaw’s move comes just days before city council in Toronto, Canada’s biggest city, debates passing a controversial bylaw to put a surcharge of 5 Canadian cents on all plastic shopping bags used in the city.” More here…

According to ReusableBags, each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide (that figure is somewhat outdated). That works out to be over one million per minute.

“EPA figures show 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. annually. In Australia, 6.9 billion plastic bags are consumed each year and around 49 million of those end up as litter.

“In the battle against ‘white pollution’, China is banning free plastic shopping bags from June 1. Australia had plans to phase out free plastic shopping bags by 2009, but Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett has confirmed he wants a phase-out of plastic shopping bags introduced this year.” More here…

A South Indian city is rewarding its students to collect 10 discarded plastic bags to claim one cloth bag. More here…

The National Geographic says: “From Australia to the U.K., and all across the U.S., politicians and corporations are pondering banning or taxing plastic bags.

“In the U.K., supermarket chain Tesco has switched to biodegradable bags, and this May Marks & Spencer food stores will begin to charge 5 pence (10 cents) per plastic bag.” More here…