Materials News
The future of the plastic bag ban Along with the fireworks and prospects of mixed economic sentiments worldwide, 2016 is greeted with yet a fresh batch of bag bans in some countries. Are we heading for a bag-less future, asks Angelica Buan in this report.
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There is simply zero justification for manufacturing any more thin film single-use plastic bags.” This was the strong statement from the United Nations Environment Protection (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner, as cited in a 2009 published article on marine litter. But this is just the tip of the iceberg as regulations for use of petroleum-based plastic bags grows on a pandemic-scale. The first country to ban polyethylene (PE) shopping bags was Bangladesh, starting from 2002, in the wake of severe flooding that submerged large portions of the country. The ban was expected to unclog waterways and sewage systems of waste plastics. Since then, other countries have followed suit. China also began implementing country-wide restrictions on plastic bags from 2008. This included outlawing production, marketing or use of plastic shopping bags less than 25 microns-thick, as well as levying a fee on usage of the bags. Between then and now, the wave of global sentiments against plastic bag waste has not ceased. In fact, 2016 has opened with more regulations enacted on plastic bags in various nations, as marine litter becomes a full blown case. In this regard, plastic bags are not directly indicted in the issue, but marine and land-based activities, such as poor practices of solid waste management, according to the European Commission (EC) on its website. But unfortunately for waste plastics, they have been found to constitute a big bulk of the littering issue than other waste materials, hence the imposition of stricter regulations. New Year, new bans The Malaysian state of Malacca enforced an initiative on the very first day of 2016, which was a Friday. Its “No Plastic Bag Day” campaign runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Supermarket and shopping mall patrons are, thus, ditching plastic bag usage for reusable and biodegradable shopping bags during those blocked out days. Traders found to be infringing the law are fined as high as RM250. In the Philippines, a new plastic bag ban policy will be invoked at the Clark Freeport Zone, a former US military base in the province of Pampanga, starting April. The Freeport houses business consignees, the
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016
The New Year has started off with new bag bans in countries such as Malaysia
Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC), Philippine Air Force (PAF), Clark Special Economic Zone, and other government entities. The use of plastics and non-reusable, nonbiodegradable materials, including polystyrene, will be prohibited inside t h e Fr e e p o rt , t h e C l a r k Development Corporation (CDC) said, adding that the ban will be done in phases. Violators will be fined, plus business establishments will have their business registrations revok ed, upon committing the third offence. I n t h e I n d o n e s i a n c i t y o f B o g o r, a f e e w i l l b e charged on the use of non-biodegradable plastics, starting February. Aside from Bogor, this also applies to 21 other cities across the country, including Jakarta, Bandung, Bekasi, Depok, Tangerang, Solo, Semarang, Surabaya, Denpasar, Palembang, Medan, Balikpapan, Banjarmasin, Makassar, and Ambon.
"2016 opens with more regulations on plastic bags in various nations...." Likewise, welcoming the New Year with a ban, the Dutch government is disallowing the gi ving out of free plastic bags to customers, via a new law that took effect on 1 January. A basic charge of US$0.25 cents per bag will be levied for customers requesting for bags. France also reiterated at the start of the year that it is banning single-use plastic bags starting March.