The ban does not take immediate effect. Large businesses have six months to comply; small shops have two years to comply.

Once the ban is officially in effect, businesses found violating the ban will face a $370 fine.

In a ceremony to announce the ban, Chilean President Sebastián Piñera handed out reusable cloth bags.

The move by Chile comes on the heels of other similar moves around the world by cities and countries:

• Nearby Panama enacted a similar ban in January 2018, giving all businesses a maximum of two years to stop using plastic carrier bags.
• California was the first American state to institute a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags in 2014.
• In 2017, Hawaii passed a statewide ban on free bags handed out at grocery checkouts.
• New York is considering a similar bill for early 2019.
• China was an early adopter, banning free plastic shopping bags from its stores as early as 2008.
• Bangladesh was the first known country to ban such bags nationwide, in 2002.