Bans around the world
Posted: 17.04.09 | Created by: Do Something
According to The Guardian in the UK, at least 40 countries, states and major cities are taking action to ban or reduce the usage of plastic bags.
Ireland leads the way
The international push to phase out plastic bags in western countries began in 2002 when the Irish Government implemented a national levy on plastic bags. As a result, there was a reduction of more than 90% in plastic checkout bag usage.
London has a reputation as ‘the shopping capital of the world’. Yet in November 2007, leaders from 33 London councils
approved a bill to seek a plastic bag ban across the capital. In the US, San Francisco has banned plastic bags in grocery stores, and Los Angeles plans to
follow suit by July 2010.
Developing commitment
Developing countries too have been eager to prevent further damage caused by plastic bags. Bangladesh was the first country to put in place a national ban, in 2002. Delhi in India
outlawed the use, storage and sale of plastic shopping bags from January 2009 for its 12 million residents.
China’s has been the highest profile bag ban – in January 2008 the government
banned the giving away of free plastic bags from June 2008. To put this in perspective, China uses more plastic bags every four days than Australia uses every year.
For the latest global developments in the battle against the plastic bag visit our In the news section.
Return to
the 'Did you know?' section, or
the home page.