China is implementing tighter controls on plastic bag use, expanding restrictions introduced on June 1, 2008, Yangzi Evening News reported Monday.

Presently, it is prohibited to produce, sell and use super-thin plastic bags, – thinner than 25 microns - across the country and all supermarkets, marketplaces and wholesale and trading markets are not allowed to provide customers with free plastic bags.

This plastic bag ban will now extend to restaurants, hospitals and other places, said Li Jiajian, an official of the Department of Commercial Service Administration of China's Ministry of Commerce.

Statistics shows that since the first restriction was introduced in 2008, supermarkets across the country have consumed more than 66 percent fewer plastic bags and 24 billion fewer plastic bags have been used annually across mainstream retailers.

However, super-thin plastic bags, which are cheaper than other more environmentally friendly alternatives, are increasingly being used in some food markets and street stalls three years after their first ban. Although cost-effective, these super-thin plastic bags have no quality safety controls and consistently test positive for toxic chemical compositions.