Credit: TEH ENG KOON/AFP/GETTY

China is clamping down on plastic shopping bags in a bid to clean up the environment and save energy.

From 1 June, shopkeepers will no longer be allowed to hand out plastic bags to their customers for free. Failure to charge for the bags could result in a fine. And the manufacture and sale of 'ultrathin' bags ? less than 0.025 millimetres thick ? will be banned from the same date.

Although this should be good news for the environment, customers feel they are being unfairly burdened. A poll of consumers by the People's Daily, the official communist newspaper, showed that more than half opposed the ban.

South Africa, Ireland and Bangladesh have already banned or taxed plastic shopping bags and other countries, such as Australia, are considering following suit.