For some reason, the Chinese government hasn't played tough on enforcing intellectual property protection. It makes you wonder how effective the recent ban on ultrathin plastic bags and free, thicker shopping bags will be. It seems like government officials need a reason to prioritize. For example, let's take a look at a recent issue in the media I've had experience with, but that's not related to plastic: bicycle theft.

A January 24 Reuters story said that police in China claim they have cut bicycle thefts by half over a nine-month period. The news story said that:

China has halved the number of bicycles stolen to about 2 million in the past nine months...following a campaign to clamp down on theft months before its capital hosts the Olympics.

The story continues,

To help battle the theft problem, the government introduced a system of identification numbers, and buyers must register their bikes using their real names as part of the effort to curb widespread theft.

In addition, an earlier story said the police also reward any tips that lead to an arrest of more than 15 bike pilferers and seizure of more than 50 stolen bikes.

Despite what the story says, the nine-month bike theft rate of 0.4 percent (2 million divided by 460 million) seems low to me. Bike thieves caused me constant headache during my college years in Beijing. I lost a total of eight bikes in four years. I was advised to buy cheap, used bikes (less than US$8) from special vendors to minimize loss caused by theft. (No, there's no comprehensive insurance for bikes.) And guess what? When I was shopping for my fourth bike, I actually found my first bike! Of course I had to pay to get it back. That's when I came to realize how the system worked.

Anyway, I'm glad someone is doing some sort of real crackdown now. It just shows that if the government wants something done, it can be done. Better late than never, I say.

Now, let's get back to plastics. What's the latest public reaction to the plastic bag ban? I gathered these interesting tidbits from various Chinese online media sources:

Plastics wholesalers have reported rising sales of ultrathin plastic bags to individuals. I guess these bags are being stocked up for family use, such as to contain garbage. Not sure whether and how the government will punish the use of ultrathin bags for non-commercial purposes.

Cashiers in supermarkets have reported that some customers have been asking for extra shopping bags. Get as many free bags as possible while they last! Stock up!

A gentleman in Beijing said he started using a cloth shopping bag, but supermarkets bagged his cloth bag with a plastic shopping bag. He thought it may be because of the advertising on the bags.

Vendors in farmer's markets told the press that they already de facto charge customers for plastic bags. "It's part of our cost. Plastics bags have never been free really." Of course, same thing with supermarkets and stores that list written prices.

A consumer reported that he was given a little extra vegetable when he declined to take plastic bags at a farmer's market.

Posted by Nina Ying Sun on January 25, 2008 11:00 AM | Permalink