BEIJING – About 15 years after Chinese shopkeepers began placing goods in plastic bags, the Chinese government declared that shops would be banned from handing out free plastic bags, the Associated Press reports. The regulation also calls on consumers to reduce environmental pollution by bringing their own baskets and cloth sacks when shopping.

“Our country consumes a huge amount of plastic shopping bags each year. While plastic shopping bags provide convenience to consumers, this has caused a serious waste of energy and resources and environmental pollution because of excessive usage, inadequate recycling and other reasons,” said the State Council, China’s Cabinet.

Starting June 1, all department stores, grocery stores and shops will not be allowed to give out free plastic bags. Stores must clearly display the price of plastic shopping bags and are not allowed to incorporate the price into products.

Also banned is the production, sale and use of ultra-thin plastic bags (those less than 0.00098 inches thick). -- was also banned, according to the State Council notice. The regulation urged consumers to “return to cloth bags and shopping baskets to reduce the use of plastic bags.”

Across the globe, more countries are passing legislation to discourage or ban plastic bags. Parts of Ireland, South Africa and Taiwan tax shoppers who use plastic bags or impose fees on companies that distribute the bags. At least 30 remote Alaskan villages and Bangladesh ban the bags outright. Last year, San Francisco became the first American city to outlaw petroleum-based plastic grocery bags.