Western Japan City to Ban Plastic Shopping Bags

February 22, 2020

Kyoto- The municipal government of Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan, on Friday proposed an ordinance prohibiting all retail stores in the city from providing both free and paid plastic shopping bags.

The ban is the first of its kind in the country, Kameoka city officials said.

The ordinance will also ban the free distribution of shopping bags made from paper or other biodegradable materials.

Offenders will be subject to on-site inspections or administrative warnings. Their names will be disclosed if they fail to comply with such warnings.

Initially, the city government planned to put the ordinance into effect in August. But it withdrew the plan and left the date of its enforcement blank after complaints from businesses that a notification period for the change is needed.

The central government plans to oblige retailers across the country to charge customers fees for plastic shopping bags starting in July. Jiji Press