Department of Marketing Management, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe.
School of Consumer Intelligence & Information Systems, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Waste Manag Res. 2022 Mar;40(3):248-261. doi: 10.1177/0734242X211003965. Epub 2021 Apr 20.
Although the ban on plastic bags is gaining in prominence as a policy option to manage plastic bag litter, there are mixed views on its rationale and effectiveness. This study employs a systematic literature review to understand considerations, benefits and unintended consequences of banning plastic bags. The review's results pointed to the limited success of a plastic bag ban owing to lack of suitable alternatives, limited state capacity to monitor and enforce the ban, thriving black market, structural and instrumental power of the plastic industry. The power of the industry was manifested by the covert practice of deflecting accountability to consumers by focusing on business-oriented solutions, including an inclination towards self-regulation. The findings of this study underscored the need for a global treaty to address the transient nature of plastic bag litter and moving away from the symbolic gesture of targeting only plastic shopping bags but considering the environmental impact of all forms of plastic such as straws, foamed plastics, plastic bottles and caps. There is a general consensus in literature that the end of plastic shopping bags is not nigh due to their utilitarian benefits. This study therefore recommends the promotion of a circular economy focusing on ecological modernisation, sustainable plastic bag manufacturing and recovery strategies such as recycling as a long-term strategy. A significant strand of literature reviewed also recommends the adoption of community-driven approaches such as voluntary initiatives as opposed to a plastic bag ban as they proved to be effective in promoting environmental citizenship behaviours in countries such as Finland.
虽然禁止塑料袋作为管理塑料袋垃圾的政策选择越来越受到关注，但对于其合理性和有效性存在不同看法。本研究采用系统文献综述来了解禁止塑料袋的考虑因素、益处和意外后果。综述结果表明，由于缺乏合适的替代品、州政府监测和执行禁令的能力有限、繁荣的黑市、塑料行业的结构性和工具性权力，塑料袋禁令的成功是有限的。该行业的权力表现为通过将责任转移给消费者，将重点放在以商业为导向的解决方案上，包括倾向于自我监管，从而回避责任。本研究的结果强调需要一项全球条约来解决塑料袋垃圾的短暂性，并摆脱仅针对塑料袋购物袋的象征性举措，而是考虑所有形式的塑料（如吸管、泡沫塑料、塑料瓶和瓶盖）的环境影响。文献中普遍认为，由于其功利性效益，塑料袋购物袋的终结还远未到来。因此，本研究建议推广以生态现代化、可持续塑料袋制造和回收策略（如回收）为重点的循环经济，作为长期战略。综述的重要部分文献还建议采取社区驱动的方法，如自愿举措，而不是禁止塑料袋，因为这些方法在芬兰等国家已被证明可以有效促进环境公民行为。
