Decline rate of shopping bags exceeds 70% at convenience stores, while purchases increased through online shopping at 1:56 on August 12

Since last month, retail stores have been obliged to pay for shopping bags, and the decline rate has exceeded 70% at major convenience stores. On the other hand, it seems that there is still a problem on whether online shopping sites will increase the sales of shopping bags by three times and that the charge will reduce plastic waste.

The rate of customers declining plastic bags at convenience stores since the 1st of the month when it was obliged to make a fee, the decline rate is 75% at Seven-Eleven, 77% at FamilyMart, 76% at Lawson, 25 It has increased significantly compared to about %.

At stores in Tokyo, many people were able to put their products in their bags and take them home with them on the 11th.

A 31-year-old woman said, "I got a bag when it was free, but I use my bag because it costs 3 yen each."

“I'm surprised that the decline rate is higher than I expected.” However, there are cases in which consumers who do not use bags reduce the number of products they buy at one time, which makes them easy to carry. I also want to consider the development of."

On the other hand, according to Askul, a mail-order major that operates online shopping “LOHACO” for household goods and other items, sales of plastic shopping bags for one month until the 20th of last month were higher than those of the same period of the previous year. It means that it is growing about 3 times.

It seems that an increasing number of people are buying plastic bags instead of shopping bags at convenience stores when throwing away garbage, and it seems that there is still a problem as to whether a charge will reduce plastic waste.

Purchased online, purchased as a garbage bag or "disposable my bag"

There are many comments in the comment section of the mail order major ASKUL website, such as ``I bought it instead of the shopping bag because the shopping bag was charged at supermarkets and convenience stores, so I bought it instead'' I buy plastic shopping bags and use them for shopping because I'm worried about food soup, etc."

According to the company, the price of a plastic shopping bag sold is about the same as that of a convenience store, so the company uses it as a garbage bag for diapers and kitchen garbage that need to be thrown away every day, and for hygiene. I think that there are many consumers who dare to purchase shopping bags as "disposable my bags" considering the above.

Reduction of plastic bottles and trays is also an issue

According to the Japan Plastics Recycling Association, etc., the total amount of plastic waste discharged in Japan in 2018 was approximately 8.91 million tons, of which plastic bags were 200,000 to 300,000 tons, with a ratio of about 3%. It is estimated.

On the other hand, it is estimated that about 44% of the “packaging/containers” are PET bottles and food trays.

According to the PET Bottle Recycling Promotion Council, the amount of PET bottles shipped with beverages in Japan was about 626,000 tons in the previous year and FY2018.

This amounted to 25.2 billion PET bottles, an increase of 6.9% compared to the previous year, and it is calculated that per capita consumed more than 200 bottled beverages in one year.

In order to reduce plastic waste, how to reduce not only plastic bags but containers such as PET bottles and trays is also an issue.