Reduce / Reuse / Recycle

January 4, 2009

 

Ninety Percent of Shoppers Carry Own Bags After Supermarkets in Yamagata Start Charging for Plastic Bags

Keywords: Local government Reduce / Reuse / Recycle 

The mayor of Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture in northern Japan announced at a press conference on September 22, 2008, that 90% of shoppers carried their own shopping bags at large supermarkets in the city in July and August 2008 after such supermarkets started charging for plastic bags.

On May 7, 2008, Yamagata City concluded an agreement on reducing plastic bag use with seven local food supermarket chains which have 1,000 square meters or more total store floor area and two citizens' groups. Since then the parties concerned have been working together in a publicity campaign concerning charging fees for plastic shopping bags from July 1 by distributing posters and placing notices in the city gazette.

The average percentage of shoppers bringing their own shopping bags was 35.12% for four supermarket chains in April 2008, 41.68% for five supermarket chains in May, and 45.89% for six supermarket chains on June 30. The ratio rose to 88.17% on July 1 when 31 stores of seven supermarket chains started charging for plastic shopping bags and 90.25% on the average in July. In August, when seven stores of two supermarket chains joined the initiative, the average ratio became 89.75% for 39 stores of nine supermarket chains. The reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by the initiative is estimated to have been about 225 tons during July and August 2008.

The city held a citizens' forum on October 11, 2008, about reducing plastic shopping bag use, to share information on results of the initiative, to deepen the understanding by businesses that are considering the idea of charging for plastic shopping bags, and to call for citizens' cooperation to the initiative.

- Co-op at Japan's Mie University Sees Dramatic Drop in Use of Plastic Bags by Charging Fees (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/027077.html

Posted: 2009/01/04 06:00:15 AM

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