China News Service Client, Beijing, July 18 (Zuo Yukun) "McDonald's new burger tastes good, but the restaurant has forgotten to give straws to Coke." On recent social media, some netizens vomited like this from time to time.
But in fact, this is really not a clerk's mistake. McDonald's China recently announced that nearly 1,000 restaurants in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen will be the first to stop using plastic straws.
McDonald's is no longer "in charge", it is not a whimsy, but a new "plastic restriction order" that echoes the upgrade. The habit of "sucking" drinks with straws over the years may have to change.
McDonald's meals. Photo by Zuo Yukun
New "plastic restriction order" goes online, from "plastic restriction" to "plastic restriction"
At the end of June 2020, a paper published in the authoritative academic journal "Biology Express" said that trace amounts of plastics were detected in Antarctic reptiles located in the Antarctic bottom biological chain, which for the first time directly proved that plastics have polluted the world The most remote corner of the city — the ubiquitous plastic pollution has once again attracted strong attention.
The hazards of "white pollution" are well known. Since China implemented the "plastic restriction order" in 2008, 12 years have passed. According to data released by the National Development and Reform Commission, the average annual growth rate of my country's plastic bag use has dropped from more than 20% in 2008 to less than 3%. But the growth rate has been positive also shows that the use of plastic bags is still growing.
In daily life, cheap and convenient plastic bags are still popular. In order to attract customers, the plastic bags in the farmer's market are still mainly used free of charge; and in large supermarkets where plastic bags are used for payment, many people are willing to spend a few cents to buy a convenience. The "Plastic Restriction Order" was once called "Plastic Selling Order".
In January 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollution", which is clearly implemented in three nodes in 2020, 2022, and 2025, ensuring a large reduction in the use of plastic products.
According to the above comments, by the end of 2020, we must take the lead in prohibiting and restricting the production, sales, and use of certain plastic products in certain regions and areas. After 12 years of "plastic restriction", it is slowly moving towards "plastic restriction".
Data Figure: Quality testing of straw products. Photo by Yang Yanci
Among them, the plastic straw that was first named is the one that attracts the most attention. The new version of the "Plastics Limitation Order" clearly states that by the end of 2020, the use of disposable non-degradable plastic straws will be prohibited in restaurants nationwide.
When drinking drinks without straws, are you still used to it?
You have one for me, with an annual output of 30,000 tons of plastic straws
According to CCTV financial reports, the cumulative output of plastic products nationwide in 2019 was 81.84 million tons, of which nearly 30,000 tons were plastic straws, about 46 billion, and the per capita usage exceeded 30. Industry experts said that the use of plastic straws is only a few minutes, but the degradation time may be as long as 500 years.
At a McDonald's restaurant in Beijing, new beverage packaging has been launched. The new cup lid has an additional drinking opening, similar to the way hot beverages are packaged before. Open the small lid to drink directly.
New packaging for McDonald's Coke Cup. Photo by Zuo Yukun
Chinanews.com found that there were no straw boxes on the ordering counter for customers to use straws, and many customers who took the meal would ask the staff: "What about straws?"
"Yes, this is the question that has been asked the most recently." McDonald's staff told ChinaNews.com that not only customers are not used to it, but their staff is also very uncomfortable: "I didn't know how many times to add straws to the box every day. , This job has been reduced for a while, it's quite awkward for a while."
But for the removal of straws, McDonald's staff expressed great support: "The usage is really very large. When we have the most in our store, we can use nearly 1,000 straws a day."
In addition to normal use, the waste of straws is also very serious: "There are many children who come to the store. Many children like to take a lot of straws or play directly with the straw box. Those customers who are pushed out of the straws will certainly not If you use it, you will get new ones by yourself. There are dozens of these waste straws that we pack every day."
It is understood that there are currently more than 3,500 McDonald's restaurants in mainland China, and the average annual consumption of plastic straws is about 400 tons.
How do you feel about saying goodbye to plastic straws?
Chinanews randomly asked customers in several stores. Everyone said that they can understand this measure from the perspective of environmental protection, but it does have a certain impact on personal experience.
"It's acceptable to me because I often forget to take a straw, and I will open the lid and drink directly," said a male customer. At the same time, he mentioned that he also ordered a "Mc Whirlwind Ice Cream". The spoons given by the store are still plastic: "Will this be cancelled in the future? It is really not possible to eat ice cream without a spoon. Will it become a box we bought when we were young? A small wooden spoon with ice cream?"
"I see someone on the Internet saying that I can't stand Coke without a straw, so I went to KFC and asked for a thick one." Another female customer bluntly said that she didn't like the design very much: "It may be that I used a straw before. I feel that mouth-to-mouth drinking will spill out, so I'm worried."
"Drinking Coke is OK, if the plastic straw is banned, I am even more worried about what to do with bubble tea." The customer also said.
Compared to liquid cola, milk tea drinks with ingredients such as pearls and coconuts naturally rely more on straws. McDonald's response is that for cold beverages containing solids such as pearl milk tea and Mai Xuanku, as well as Mai coffee cold beverages, there will still be straws.
Chinanews.com asked about a chain of milk tea brand stores. The staff said that the store will provide straws for each order. Usually, it is no problem to use five or six hundred straws a day. The maximum number of rest days and holidays can reach more than 800.
"There are two kinds of straws, thick and thin, in the store. If the customer does not add ingredients, they will be thin. If they add ingredients, they will use thick. The usage rate of thick tubes is several times that of thin tubes." But for the banned plastic straws The matter, the tea shop staff said that they have not received the relevant change notice.
Drink with paper straws. Photo by Zuo Yukun
In my country, many brands such as Starbucks and Xicha have gradually launched paper straws, but for consumers, there is still a certain gap in the experience of paper straws and plastic straws. Some stores that put paper straws and plastic straws together for consumers to choose said that only 1/3 of customers are willing to choose paper straws.
"At Starbucks, I ordered a drink with grains in it. The paper straw is very thin. After a long time of soaking, it will become soft and weak, and the grains will stay underneath after a drink." Li Tu said.
The tea shop staff also believes that the replacement of thin straws with paper is still acceptable, but the thick straws will definitely have a great impact on the feeling of use.
In this regard, many people began to use Amway's reusable stainless steel straws: "There are small portable boxes and special brushes. Now many people bring their own tableware. It is very convenient to add more straws."
Plastic industry urgently needs transformation
There is also a big industry behind consumers’ preference for plastic products such as plastic straws.
According to the data from the company's survey, at present, my country has become the world's largest plastics producer and consumer, with a total of 2.83 million plastic product-related enterprises, of which Zhejiang Province ranks first with 437,000.
In the second quarter of this year, the number of related companies registered reached 234,000, a year-on-year increase of 56%. At the same time, the number of patents in the industry has risen year after year, reaching about 4,500 for two consecutive years.
Rider takes milk tea. Photo by Li Qiuying
In addition to the "big limit" approaching straws, the new "Plastics Limitation Order" has made phased arrangements for the bans and restrictions on "big plastic users" such as disposable plastic tableware, disposable plastic supplies for hotels and hotels, express plastic packaging, etc. The plastic products industry will also experience a new round of pain.
"On the basis of reduction, substitution, and recycling, the key is to allow plastic products to enter a standardized collection and processing system." According to Liu Jianguo, a professor at the School of Environmental Sciences of Tsinghua University, it is more important to establish a long-term mechanism for controlling plastic pollution.
In this regard, the new "Plastic Limitation Order" also proposes policies and measures that basically cover the entire process and links of the production, circulation, use, recycling, and disposal of plastic products. For the current traditional plastics production enterprises, how to transform and upgrade will be the biggest test they face. (Finish)