The ban on free plastic bags in the Netherlands appears to be paying off with 83% of people saying they now take their own bag to the shops, according to a short survey for the environment ministry.
The survey of just over 1,000 people found 66% ‘never or rarely’ buy a plastic bag and 90% are aware of the ban on free ones. Some 70% of those polled support the ban, which was introduced at the beginning of this year. Shopkeepers are recommended to charge 25 cents for a bag. According to website InRetail, Dutch shoppers got through some three billion plastic bags a year before the ban. Bags can still be used if necessary for hygiene, such as products which might leak.
Read more at DutchNews.nl: Ban on free plastic bags is paying off http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/05/ban-on-free-plastic-bags-is-paying-off/