Such legislation could make a huge impact, considering that Chinese citizens currently use about 3 million plastic bags a day. They follow places like Ireland, South Africa and San Francisco, which are all experimenting with plastic bag bans or heavy taxes. New York City recently ditched a plan to ban the bags, instead opting for a much weaker plan by experimenting with more recycling programs.

While some criticize the publicity plastic bags have received of late, and predict that bans or taxes will only cost more in the long run, this is an effort that should continue. Recycling bags, encouraging people to reuse them and focusing on anti-litter campaigns are all great plans. But in order to really make a difference and eliminate some of the huge wads of plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean and lessen our reliance on oil, we must first reduce the number of bags produced and distributed in the first place.