One of the more devastating forms of rubbish is plastic bags. Many bags that people get in supermarkets and department stores are not recyclable, which means they end up in landfills, oceans, and streets in the form of litter. Some countries around the world have used a variety of innovative methods to lessen the amount of plastic bags that end up finding their way into rubbish bins. Taiwan is one example of a country that was proactive in its approach by creating plastic bags that can be re-used and charging customers for them. The program has been enormously successful and has helped turn Taiwan into one of the world’s best recyclers.
Wales is the latest country to attempt this scheme, which will begin in 2011 according to Environment Minister Jane Davidson. Charging for plastic bags should not only reduce the amount of plastic bags that people use in the first place, but it may also encourage customers to use reusable cloth bags which eliminate the need for plastic bags entirely. The government of Wales has not yet fixed a price for the plastic bags but estimates put the cost in the range of 5 to 15p per bag. Wales is the first and only country in the United Kingdom to implement such a program.
Nearly five hundred million plastic bags are used in Wales every year and scientists say that it will take roughly five hundred to one thousand years for these bags to biodegrade. The Welsh Assembly Government was granted the power to make the change under the Climate Change Act.
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