BEIJING, May 27 (UPI) -- Chinese shoppers will pay up to 29 cents per plastic bag starting Sunday as the government cracks down on "white pollution" to save energy.
The prices were announced by retailers and supermarkets to implement a government ban on free plastic bags effective Sunday, the China Daily reported Tuesday.
The most expensive of the bags will be 2 yuan, or 29 cents, charged at a retail group, the report said.
At the lower end, a large foreign retailer in Guangzhou will charge about 3 cents for a bag that can hold up to 15 pounds.
"Different supermarkets have fixed different prices according to the cost of their plastic bags," Tang Juan with the Guangzhou Chain Store Franchise Association told the newspaper. "But supermarkets usually round off the prices. For example, if the cost of a bag is 0.15 yuan, the supermarkets will charge 0.2 yuan for it."
A China Plastics Processing Industry Association survey says up to 1 billion shopping bags are used every day in the country, but experts predict the new ban will decrease that figure by two-thirds, partly because of the cost.
One Guangzhou resident said markets always include the cost of plastic bags in the prices of their items, and charging for the plastic bags might hurt the businesses of small stores.
A retailer violating the ban by providing free plastic bags can face a maximum fine of $1,400.
The new law requires all new bags to meet national quality standards. A retailer can charge any amount for the bags so long as it is not below cost price.
Retailers also can be fined if they fail to buy the bags from approved makers or fail to obtain related certificates.
Plastic used to package frozen or cooked food will not be subject to the new law.
The ban has come into force because so-called white pollution has become a major environmental concern in the country, besides using up valuable energy resources.
In January China's largest plastic bag maker, located in Henan province with an annual production of 250,000 tons, was shut down.
