Publicity efforts demanded 

The biggest challenge of "the campaign against plastic bags" is not money for most people, but their set mentality of enjoying the service of free bags that has been cultivated over long periods, industry experts say.

"The campaign against plastic bags" should be based on reshaping the livelihood habits of the people and help them get accustomed to use environment-friendly bags. Only in this way will the people once again pick up cloth bags and bamboo baskets," said Sun Bonian, vice-president of the Resources and Environment School under Lanzhou University.

"Therefore, the most crucial thing is to intensify our efforts to promote the idea of environment protection among the people," Sun said.

"It takes time for us to carry out a new policy. We cannot expect the people to get used to the change in a sudden," said Liu Min, vice president of the Gansu Academy of Social Sciences in the country's northwest.

"But these days, when the concept of harmonious coexistence between man and nature is deeply imbedded in people's hearts, we should assume our responsibility and duty to the environment, society and human beings," said Liu Min.

Government organs in action

To implement the policy, law enforcement organs of local governments have to overcome many problems in collecting evidence.

Qingdao Industry and Commerce Bureau in the eastern Shandong Province, invested 60,000 yuan to buy 120 instruments to measure the thickness of plastic film. These facilities have been sent to grassroots organs of the bureau. Staff workers have received training programs for field law enforcement.

With these tools, the bureau will launch a two-month supervision in June and July to check the use of plastic bags in all supermarkets and shops in the city. Regulation violators will be fined up to 10,000 yuan.

In May, Linyi Industry and Commerce Bureau, also in Shandong, started to strengthen supervision of plastic bags accessing the wholesale markets. Linyi City is a key distributing center of small commodities in the country and a major plastic bag wholesaler in Shandong.

As shown in the supervision results, the sales volumes of thin plastic bags have plunged in the wholesale markets in Linyi since mid May.