Since Sunday, June 1, retailers can no longer provide free plastic bags to shoppers. The government has also banned the production of ultra-thin 0.025mm plastic bags. How is the public getting used to the new rules? What difference will the new policy make? In Media Spin today, we'll take a closer look at the situation.

An opinion piece in Eastday.com says reducing the usage of plastic bags will help stop "white pollution". When new shopping culture is established, we will consume less or no plastic bags. The writer writes about how some supermarkets now sell reusable bags, while others provide free paper bags. Interestingly, some consumers had already stocked up ultra-thin plastic bags before June 1. However, experts say, in the long term, the best solution is to invest in reusable, bio-degradable shopping bags as it saves both the environment and money. Ultimately, the writer hopes the environmentally-friendly policy will result in better living conditions.

An opinion in The Beijing News says when plastic bags were first introduced in 1902, it marked a revolution in consumers' buying behaviors. Now, hundred years later, the ban on free plastic bags in China has brought about another revolution. The writer says we should tolerate the ineffectiveness of the policy at its initial stages since it will help the country conserve its resources and protect the environment. He adds that even if every housewife in China started using cloth bags now, it wouldn't help us bring back the landscapes and forests we've lost due to urbanization.

A reporter from Foodqs.com said most stalls in Beijing markets still provided ultra-thin plastic bags on June 1, while Red Net reported that many consumers who first supported the ban began experiencing its downsides. For example, they don't know what to use as garbage bags now. Thus, it will take a while to implement the ban and study its full effects. The government should continue working to set up a system to manage the collection, storage and recycling of plastic bags. Meanwhile, manufacturers should be encouraged to produce cheap, environment-friendly garbage bags.