Considering paying for plastic bags “A grace period is required” “Excludes lunch box bags” September 26, 17:13
The government will require all retailers to charge for plastic bags from April next year, but at the study meeting held on the 26th, opinions such as supermarkets and convenience stores could delay the introduction period, A request was made to exclude bags such as take-out lunch boxes.
Representatives from supermarkets, convenience stores, industry groups, and consumer groups attended the study meeting held by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Tokyo.
The government has revised the ministerial ordinance of the “Container Packaging Recycling Law” to require that plastic bags be charged for all stores in principle, except for thin bags that contain fish and meat products from April next year. The industry groups such as have shown an attitude to agree to advance the charge.
On the other hand, at the study meeting on the 26th, the Japan Chain Store Association, which is made up at supermarkets, said that it would be difficult to implement from April, saying that “there is preparation at the store and a grace period is necessary”.
In addition, the Japan Franchise Chain Association, to which convenience stores, etc. are members, said that a sufficient grace period is required before the introduction, and `` Applicable to customers who put products that are difficult for customers to take home with my bags, such as warm lunch boxes and soups '' I want you to go outside. "
The Ministry of the Environment, etc. has a policy of soliciting opinions from the public and deciding on detailed contents such as the timing and targets of charges within the year.
Shoppers “Necessary for environmental protection”
Regarding the fact that all retailers nationwide are required to charge for shopping bags, many customers have heard that it is inevitable to protect the environment.
Among them, a female office worker in her 40s who visited a supermarket in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, said, “I hear that paying for plastic bags is a natural thing overseas, and I think there is no way in Japan. You just have to buy a plastic bag, and if it costs about 2 or 5 yen per sheet, it will not affect your household. "
A 40-year-old housewife said, “I thought it was pitiful when I saw a report that sea creatures were swallowed by plastic waste, and I thought it would be worth paying if I could stop such environmental pollution.” I was talking.
On the other hand, a man in his 50s who visited a convenience store in Chiyoda Ward to buy lunch said, `` When you buy a cold drink or a hot lunch, you can't put it in your bag, so there is no shopping bag. “If you have to pay for it, you will be troubled when shopping.”