China shopping bag I paid for it first... 17:01 on September 1st

Starting in July, Japan has been obliged to pay for plastic shopping bags at supermarkets in order to reduce plastic waste.

Actually, it has been paid for 12 years in China, but now various issues have been found.

And the new coronavirus creates new plastic waste issues.

(Mr. Minoru Yoshida, Director General of China)

The trigger is “white pollution”

"Do you need a bag?"



This is the word that is asked when you pay at a store in China.

In Japan, the plastic bag charge has just begun, but in China, it has been implemented since June 2008, 12 years ago.

The trigger was the littering of shopping bags.

With the economic development, the amount of plastic bags used has increased rapidly, and it has become apparent that thin bags that can be torn after being used once are thrown away on the street.

In the town of Beijing at that time, torn plastic bags were piled up in various snowdrifts, which was also called “white pollution”.



For this reason, the Chinese government has banned the production and use of thin plastic shopping bags, and ordered that even thick plastic shopping bags be charged.



A year later, in 2009, the "Development and Reform Commission" in charge of environmental and energy issues at the Chinese government said, "In the past year, the amount of plastic bags used in supermarkets around the country has decreased by nearly 70%. Announced.

I was proud of my achievements.

After more than 10 years

What is the actual situation after that?

In fact, a survey by local environmental groups has revealed a situation that is inconsistent with the announcement made by the government in 2009.

The Zero Disposal Federation, which is made up of environmental organizations in various parts of China, conducted a survey of nearly 1,000 stores in nine cities, such as Beijing and southern* Shenzhen, and Shenyang in the northeast, and found that shopping bags were provided for a fee. Was only 17% (2018 survey).

(* Sen = soil polarization + river)

Even if we actually shop on the street, at a private store that sells daily necessities and simple foods, we don't ask if there is a bag or not, but we put the product in a shopping bag and hand it over.

When I bought a squid at a chain fruit store in Beijing, he said, "The first bag is a service," and put it in the bag for free.

Some shops even posted a poster of the city government saying, "The shopping bag is a flat fee," but the bag is handed free of charge.



Mr. Keika Son, a senior executive of an environmental group in Beijing, who was involved in the above-mentioned survey, explains this situation as follows.

Keika Son:


“The stores are in a relationship of rivals, so if you want to offer a free bag, the customer will be away if you pay this. In addition, major supermarkets and chain stores also have authorities. I can manage it, but I can't even see individual shops.''

Problems with price and public awareness

The Chinese system has another challenge.

That is the price.

The prices of shopping bags at supermarkets and convenience stores in China range from 0.1 CNY (=about 1.5 yen) for small items to 0.4 CNY (=about 6 yen) for large items.



It is the same level as Japan.

Prices have remained largely unchanged since the start of charging.

Due to economic growth over the past 10 years, prices and income have risen substantially in China.

On the other hand, as the price of plastic shopping bags has remained unchanged, consumers are not burdened by the cost of bags.



When I talked to shoppers, I often heard that they would buy if they didn't have a bag, but they didn't care about the price.



Environmental groups in China are also concerned about this point, and analyze that "at least 1 RMB per shopping bag (about 15 yen), or more than twice the current amount, will not produce an effect." ..

New plastic litter problem created by the new Corona

While reducing the number of plastic shopping bags is an issue, a new plastic waste problem is now attracting attention in China against the backdrop of the new coronavirus.

That's the fast-growing food delivery service.



In recent years, apps for home delivery of restaurants and supermarkets have been launched one after another in China.

Major online retailers such as Alibaba have also entered the market, and each company is competing.



This trend was spurred by the spread of the new coronavirus.

As consumers refrained from going out, sales at stores such as restaurants fell sharply.

Instead, demand for home delivery services increased.

Now, in the downtown area of ​​China, at lunch time, a lunch delivery bike becomes a bell at the entrance of the building, and the scene of handing over products while exchanging products with people who ordered is a daily scene. It has become.



The challenge is therefore the plastic container that holds the food.

Each restaurant makes various efforts so that the taste does not deteriorate.

For noodles, for example, put noodles, soup, and ingredients in separate containers to prevent the noodles from spreading.

According to Chinese media, the average container usage per delivery order is 3.27.

As of 2017, the number of daily orders from three major Chinese home delivery apps was about 20 million.

In other words, more than 60 million plastic containers are used daily.



If the depth of one container is 5 cm, the height when stacked straight is 300 million cm = 3 million meters.

This is a calculation equivalent to 339 pieces of Everest, the highest peak in the world.

Mr. Keika Son, executive of environmental group


“It is a waste of resources to put one product in each container or bag. It was not expected that such a delivery service would be expanded in 2008 when the fee for plastic shopping bags began. The government, businesses, and each one of us must continue to address the changing problem of plastic waste."

Can the Chinese government also strengthen its measures and make it possible?

?

The Chinese government is poised to strengthen its response to the growing problem of plastic waste.

In January this year, the Chinese government announced a policy of prohibiting the use of plastic bags used in supermarkets by the end of this year in large cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.



In addition to plastic bags, it is banned from using plastic straws at restaurants, and by 2025 there will be a 30% reduction in plastic containers used for home delivery.



This policy was issued before the spread of the new coronavirus spread became clear, but some large cities such as Shanghai are beginning to announce specific implementation plans after July.

However, at the end of this year, there are only about four months left, so I can't help but wonder, "Is this really possible?"



In China, it is also said that "if there is a policy above, there are measures below."

It means that even if the government tightens regulations and crackdowns, people will somehow find a way out.



I think that it will be necessary to continue to pay attention to the effectiveness of China's plastic waste countermeasures and to see the end of the system for paying plastic shopping bags in Japan.

Director General of China


Minoru Yoshida


Joined in 2000


Responsible for finance and trade in the Ministry of Economic Affairs

since 2017


Directorate General of China