The strategy is to attack the countryside from the cities rather than the other way round, as was the case during revolutionary times.

And the reason for that is simple: cities seem to be winning the war against plastic bags that the government declared on June 1 last year. Free distribution of plastic bags was banned a year ago to save energy and protect the environment.

But while cities handed out 65 to 70 percent fewer plastic bags during the past year, rural areas saw little change in the pattern.