BEIJING (AFP) — China's largest plastic bag factory has shut down because of a government environmental campaign that will dramatically curb their use, state media reported Tuesday.
Huaqiang, which employs 20,000 people, stopped production at its factory in central Henan province last month, Xinhua reported, quoting local government officials and management at the plant.
"Over 90 percent of our products are on the limit list," Xinhua quoted a management official as saying, referring to a central government edict that will see ultra-thin plastic bags banned from June 1.
"As a result, the only way forward for the factory is closure."
The factory, which is owned by Guangzhou-based Nanqiang Plastic Industrial, had a production capacity of 250,000 tons of plastic bags worth 2.2 billion yuan (305 million dollars) every year, the report added.
Last month, the government announced shoppers would have to pay for plastic bags at supermarkets and other shops from June 1.
The State Council, or cabinet, also said the production, sale and use of ultra thin bags would be banned completely.
The overuse of plastic bags in China is a major problem.
In the booming southern city of Shenzhen, at least 1.75 billion plastic bags are used each year, according to previous data.
Shenzhen's environmental protection department said the bags were posing a huge environmental problem, as they generally did not decompose for 200 years, while some never would at all, Xinhua reported.
Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
