Comments on: Paper or Plastic?

By: Amberite

Amberite — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 05:35:15 +0000

I just wanted to mention a recent piece of news via SEPA: Free plastic bags will be banned in June ‘08, replaced with cheap and more durable ones you can buy and re-use!

I’m really impressed that they’re on it.

By: Thomas Young

Thomas Young — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:24:07 +0000

Hi Ben, I came to your blog by chance. Perhaps this article with the key words of plastic bag, so it came to me incidently when I was surfing on the Internet.

Now as an international trader on the line of plastic packaging products, esp. plastic bags, I hereby have different views from you and your friends.

Plastic bag itself does affect environment since it cost a long period to degrade, which would live longer than a person does according to some experts. DefinItely it is correct. But we must come to that point, that is, scientific methods become more and more, and maturer little by little. Take the plastic bags at my hand, they are all manufactured based on Oxo-biodegradable technology, which can be widely adopted to most kinds of plastic material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester and so on. Plastic products with this would be biodegraded into water and carbon-dioxide, which will not damage animals or plants. What’s more, these kinds of products can also be controlled on their degrade time.

In a word, this family of plastic bags would exist for a long period. In the foreseeable future, it weighs more than paper since it gets the advantage over paper. Actually it also causes environmental pollution during the production of paper.

By: meiqi

meiqi — Tue, 29 May 2007 09:59:11 +0000

I don’t agree to excessive use of plastic bags either, but it has to be said that Chinese families also recycle their plastic bags. Usually for garbage bags. But nicer ones are re-used as bags. If we compare that to American families who buy garbage (plastic) bags, can it be said that one has better environment-friendly habit than the other?
I do agree that environmental consciousness is less in developing countries as stated in previous comments. Also, my knowledge of Chinese families are limited to Indonesian Chinese. However, people in developing countries usually have less resources to squander about e.g. plastic bags. Another example in Indonesia, there is no formal recycle program, but bottles, papers are collected and resold/bartered for household items.
Just a thought.
Stumbled across your blog, and enjoyed the writings and comments. Good site to procrastinate.

By: Heilong

Heilong — Wed, 23 May 2007 19:56:21 +0000

A few years ago in my country (Ireland) the goverment made a new law that all plastic bags must be purchased and no longer give free in shops, paper bags are still free, People hate this and it took a long time to get used to bring your own bags to the shop and reusing them again and again. Right now it cost 15 cent for a small plastic bag and about $1.20(US) for a large bag. I dont think this approch would work in china as shops try to have strict control over what people bring into shops incase they try to steal.(all those special zip over security bags they foorce you to carry your belongings in).

I wouldnt try to change Chinese thinking to much on this issue as you will 99% fail, maybe try America first, Kyoto treaty anybody!

By: Ada

Ada — Tue, 22 May 2007 13:31:34 +0000

hi, Ben, so happy to see your intresting stories here. and also really impressed by your way of living in China and also the curiosity of living as a Chinese of the lowest class as you do in a barber’s shop.

As to the plastic bag thing, I do share the same opinion with you. When I go buying my weekly fruits and vegatables around the neighborhood now, i am taking my own bag made of cloth. But in supermarkets, they are still using plastic bags and even in shopping mall buying clothes, sitll plastic bags. I prefer paper bags personally, and most of my well educated friends share the same idea, but for the major of Chinese people, they are still so busy and so worried about their own living instead of paying so much attention on how the environments will be. I believe this situation will be different when more and more people are realizing the importance of being aware of the earth we are living in, and when our government spares the attention on advertising and encouraging the protection of environment on this point of view.
I am working in HP, where a lot of foreign colleagues experience almost the same thing with you. Whatever, wish you a happy life in China. and wellcome to Dalian, a northan coastal city for a visit.

By: Benjamin Ross

Benjamin Ross — Wed, 16 May 2007 07:13:11 +0000

I didn’t think this was necessarily worthy of a whole new post it, but I wanted to mention it nonetheless. Yesterday I was at the grocery story and I bought a 600 mL bottle (the small one) of fanta, and that was it. They wrapped it in a plastic bag. This becomes even more ridiculous when you consider I had drank half of the bottle already while walking around the store.

By: Benjamin Ross

Benjamin Ross — Sat, 12 May 2007 18:25:26 +0000

The main reason there aren’t many clear days in Fujian is because the pollution gets trapped in by the mountains. What part of Fujian are you in? Actually, compared to many other parts of China, Fuzhou’s air is pretty good. Try spending a week in Shanxi or Hebei and you’ll know what I mean. If you’re looking for nice air, check out Xiamen…cleanest air I have ever experienced in China.

By: M.

M. — Sat, 12 May 2007 18:05:49 +0000

The plastic bag issue….
It really bogs me, after having read about plastic floating in the ocean and killing birds etc.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/oceans/la-me-ocean2aug02,0,71579,full.story

I do think that the whole plastic problem in China is getting worse. I don’t know why. It might be considered better service is something is wrapped, even if it’s really not necessary. I’ve noticed that many oranges and lemons are individually wrapped now. I do not buy them, I try to buy things that aren’t wrapped (and are locally produced). I refuse plastic bags every time a person tries to give it to me. If them give me a surprised look I will tell them that anmils eat plastic and it kills them and then I’ll put my groceries in my backpack.

yeah… I’m lecturing, and I probably shouldn’t… but I just cannot help it. I really do worry about the environment.

An off topic question: does anyone know why there aren’t many clear sky days here in Fujian? Today I went to Tong An, and the view reminded me of dusty towns that I saw in the Xinjiang desert.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Mon, 07 May 2007 09:56:35 +0000

hey,ben,u really got some insight at chinese society. thats terrific.
yeah,we do use a hell lotta plastic bags. obviously it aint good for the environment.

By: Benjamin Ross

Benjamin Ross — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 07:23:03 +0000

(translated from James’ Chinese)
Ben, there are a lot of differences between the social and cultural systems of China and the United States. Chinese people definitely don’t have as much environmental consciousness as Americans. Personally, I know that wasting plastic bags can hurt the environment, but I am not used to trying to tell others to do so as well, and if I do so, they will think I am making a big deal about a small problem.
Right now in China we don’t have a way to freely assemble and bring up these problems and vote. Also there’s no way to ask the country to set up stricter laws.
If there are no laws, the masses will be uninformed. Presently with China’s economic development, corporations are trying to increase their profits, and protecting the environment raises costs.
In sum, this is quite a big problem thesedays. Of course there are ways to help, such as discussing this topic in blogs. People who read these things in blogs might be able to improve on the present condition. If you want to start grassroots activism, you must be charismatic, and people will listen, such as your students. But for me, I just ask one person to use less plastic, that’s Maria (my girlfriend).