China has imposed restrictions on shopping bags, what is your take?

Question

http://www.livescience.com/environment/080110-ap-china-bag-ban.html

Answer 1

I am ALL FOR IT.

Answer 2

Honestly, I'm all for it. Oil is getting more expensive, and will eventually run out. Why waste it on making something that is so easily and environmentally replaceable?

Answer 3

I think it's really fantastic, and I hope we will take the initiative here in the U.S. sooner rather than later. Thousands of bags are used every second amounting to about 12 million barrels of oil used a year just for plastic bags! If about 10,000 people stopped using plastic bags, we'd keep about 9 million bags out of landfills every year! (idealbite.com)

I hope that China keeps up with their greening cleaning even after the olympics, and that it's not all just for show.

The only unfortunate part of this ban, however, is that it is probably going to boost the production of pesticide covered cotton to make the reusable bags, which is NOT green at all. However, if they use materials like hemp and bamboo, then that would be really cool.

Answer 4

Ah China has some interesting and common sense.

I also use a canvas bag that I bought from Ikea to get my groceries, it's so much easier to bring home rather than having 20 different bags of groceries.

It's convienant, fast, and makes a differenence to be Eco-friendly.

Answer 5

Awesome, good for China.  I think more countries should follow suit.

I try to bring my own canvas bag(s) whenever I go shopping, and only get plastic bags when I forget.  There's really no need to waste our resources making plastic bags which will just end up filling our landfills for thousands of years anyway, when people could just as easily bring reusable bags with them.  They only cost a couple bucks, and last for ages.

We've already decided to ban incandescents to be replaced by CFLs.  Banning plastic bags is no more inconvenient than that.

Answer 6

It seems annoying at first glance but it makes sense.  San Francisco already put this type of plan into effect and it seems to be working.

It's really a matter of getting people used to a new WAY of doing things.  It's not like it's really difficult, but people just don't like to change their existing habits.  It's an entropy thing-it's just easier for a person to keep doing it the same way again and again, even if there is a better solution.