From "plastic limit" to strengthening "forbidden"
Controlling plastic pollution, China has a "timetable"
A plastic bag provided by a supermarket near the Red Temple in Chaoyang District, Beijing. Photo by our reporter Shi Zhipeng
2020
Take the lead in restricting the production, sales and use of some plastic products in some regions and areas
2022
Consumption of disposable plastic products has been significantly reduced, and alternative products have been promoted
2025
The establishment of a complete management system for plastic products, and effective control of plastic pollution
When the company called overtime for a takeaway, the merchant informed that it would no longer provide disposable tableware, and the lunch box should be recycled. When passing by the drink shop after work, I bought a drink and found that the disposable straw became a paper tube; I went to the market to buy food and found The plastic bags you receive are no longer light and thin "three-free products", but degradable plastic bags ... Starting this year, these small changes in people's lives will become more and more.
The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollution" earlier this year, clearly setting out a "timetable" for further strengthening the control of plastic pollution: starting this year, it is the first to restrict production and sales in some regions and areas. And use of some plastic products; by 2022, the consumption of disposable plastic products will be significantly reduced, and alternative products will be promoted; by 2025, the entire management system for plastic products will be established, and plastic pollution will be effectively controlled.
This "Opinion" is regarded as an upgraded version of the "plastic limit order" 12 years ago, and it has got rid of the previous "price leverage" dependence. The ban covers a larger area and is more operable. Experts said that controlling plastic pollution is a common issue facing the international community. From "limiting plastics" to strengthening "bans", China's treatment of plastic pollution is powerful, orderly, and effective.
"Plastic products are cheap and convenient, and people are gradually getting used to them."
At 5 pm on February 25, the reporter walked into a supermarket located in Gaobeidian, Chaoyang District, Beijing. Due to the new crown pneumonia epidemic, there are not many customers in the store. Ingredients purchasing area, vegetables, fruits, and cooked food are readily available. To ensure freshness, many dishes and fruits are wrapped in plastic bags and plastic films. Rolled hand tear bags are placed in a conspicuous place for customers to pick at will, and many customers tear off four or five at will.
At the checkout counter, within half an hour, 10 of the 15 checkout customers offered to buy plastic bags, 3 people brought their own plastic bags, 1 person brought their own canvas bags, and 1 person pushed the trolley. Aunt Zhang, who lives near the supermarket, is full of vegetables. "I have a cloth bag at home, so I can pull my car to save effort." She said that occasionally, I also buy plastic bags, which are cheap and convenient after all.
The reporter noticed that some customers packed each dish with their hands, and then packed them in the big plastic bags they bought. Counting it down, a customer buys vegetables once and uses nearly 10 plastic bags.
In some farmers' markets and small shops, the use of illegal plastic bags is more common. In a farmer's market near the East Fifth Ring Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, although plastic bags are charged, there are no signs; some vendors actively use or provide free low-quality plastic bags for business.
Plastic products also widely appear in some emerging industries. Takeaway. According to the reporter's observation, a single takeaway usually includes 2 to 3 plastic lunch boxes, 1 to 2 plastic packaging bags, 1 to 2 pairs of disposable chopsticks, in addition to plastic spoons, straws and so on. A report released by the China Internet Network Information Center shows that as of June 2019, the number of users of online takeout in China reached 421 million. Takeaway meal boxes and packaging bags are added together, and the consumption of plastic products is staggering.
Such as express delivery. A package usually uses woven bags, plastic packaging bags, and then tied with tape, adhesive tape, etc. According to statistics, in 2018 China's express delivery industry consumed a total of about 5.3 billion woven bags and about 24.5 billion plastic bags. The packaging tape used in China can be wound around the earth for 1,077 times a year.
In addition, as sales of beverages such as milk tea and coffee have skyrocketed, the consumption of plastic products such as plastic cups, plastic straws, and straw packaging bags has also increased.
Many consumers said that in fact, people's awareness of environmental protection has been greatly improved, such as not wasting, reducing use, recycling plastic bags, and so on. However, due to the cheapness and convenience of plastic products, many people have gradually become used.
The "Top Ten Facts About Plastics and Green Development Proposals for the Recycled Plastics Industry" recently released by the Institute of Urban Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences show that China's annual output of plastic products exceeds 75 million tons, with a recovery rate of 23% -29%, which is higher than Japan, Europe and The United States and other advanced economies. Due to its susceptibility to pollution and complex types, most of the plastics produced by humans are not continuously recycled, but are discarded, incinerated or landfilled.
"This will not only lead to a huge waste of renewable plastic resources, but also bring tremendous pressure on urban solid waste management systems and the natural ecological environment, and may even affect people's health." Wang Yonggang, secretary general of the China Plastics Recycling Association Recycling Plastics Branch, told reporters Say.
"Limit a batch, replace a batch, regulate a batch"
"It is forbidden to produce and sell ultra-thin plastic shopping bags with a thickness of less than 0.025 mm, and polyethylene agricultural mulch film with a thickness of less than 0.01 mm. ... by the end of 2020, it is prohibited to produce and sell disposable foamed plastic tableware and disposable plastic cotton swabs; production is prohibited Daily chemical products containing plastic beads. "
Compared with the “Plastic Restriction Order” issued 12 years ago, in the “Opinions on Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollution” issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment earlier this year, the number of plastic products banned from production and sales has increased significantly. Other plastic products that are forbidden or restricted step by step and by field include non-degradable plastic bags, disposable plastic products for hotels, express packaging, and so on.
"Most of these plastic products are relatively large in volume and difficult to recycle, or products with high recycling costs and low utilization value," said Weng Yunxuan, dean of the School of Materials and Mechanical Engineering of Beijing Technology and Business University.
The person in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission stated that the "Opinions" in accordance with the principle of "banning a batch, replacing a batch, standardizing a batch", orderly prohibit and restrict the production, sales and use of some plastic products; promote recycling, easy recycling, Degradable alternative products, regulate the recycling and disposal of plastic waste, and reduce the amount of plastic waste to landfill.
In order to reduce the impact of the banned plastic products on the lives of residents, the Opinions propose to promote the application of alternative products and models. For example, promote the use of non-plastic products such as environmentally-friendly cloth bags and paper bags, and degradable shopping bags, and encourage the installation of self-service and intelligent delivery devices.
In fact, some consumers, especially young people, are closer to beautifully designed environmentally friendly products. An employee of a company in Beijing, Wang Li, is a "post-90s" and usually likes to collect environmental protection bags. "Using eco-bags is a fashion." She told reporters that she likes to live a delicate life. When she saw the various exquisite designs on the eco-bags, she fell in love with them.
Some companies and platforms are also actively changing their business thinking. Beijing citizen Sun Cheng said that in order to reduce plastic consumption, some cafes use straight drink cup lids and paper straws to give customers discounts on their own cups, sometimes free of charge. The reporter saw from a takeaway app that on the confirmation payment page, there is a column of "tableware servings" with the option of "no tableware required". If checked, you can get rewards provided by the platform.
According to Cheng Lin, a college counselor in Jiangsu, Cainiaoyi has set up a green recycling station on the campus. Teachers and students organize the packing bags (boxes) according to their size for repeated use. He said that this environmental protection move has attracted more and more teachers and students to participate.
Some scholars believe that green packaging not only represents a trend of environmental protection, but also an important prerequisite to ensure the implementation of the Opinions. Only by providing the public with more green and healthy packaging alternatives and meeting the basic needs of the public can the implementation of the Opinions be truly implemented.
"Changes in people's consumer behavior can ultimately make a huge difference in the industry"
Regulating the recycling and disposal of plastic waste is an important part of solving the problem of plastic pollution. In view of the problems of insufficient classification and recycling of plastic waste, insufficient standardized utilization and disposal, and random disposal in some regions and areas, the Opinions strengthen the recycling and removal of plastic waste, promote the utilization of resources and energy, and carry out special cleaning of plastic waste. Proposed specific measures.
As the main force of plastic recycling, it is critical to solve some of the practical problems facing the plastic recycling industry. "Practitioners should think about building a new value chain." Jiang Nanqing, secretary general of the Plastic Recycling Branch of the China Synthetic Resin Supply and Marketing Association, told reporters that due to rising human prices, continued decline in crude oil prices, and increased capacity in the chemical industry, recycled plastics and Inverted plastic prices have led to the loss of profit margins in the recycled plastics industry.
"Upstream product manufacturing also brings great difficulties to plastic recycling." Jiang Nanqing said that many products are compounded from multiple materials to meet functional requirements. Such as food preservation packaging, chemical fiber materials for clothing, and different types of plastic bottles. The complexity of these plastic products makes the recycling process difficult. "This reminds us that plastic recycling is an issue that the entire industry chain must participate in."
"From production to recycling, the entire distribution system should be managed." Wang Yonggang suggested that the plastic industry design and production end should develop an intelligent management system to achieve "who produces and handles, who buys and returns, and who sells and collects." Management mode; the delivery side should combine the "Internet + recycling" method to build an environmental deposit system with Chinese characteristics, vigorously promote the knowledge of waste classification, and improve the recycling rate of waste plastics.
"A flow supervision system including a waste recycling station, a waste recycling company, a dismantling company, and a resource processing and processing enterprise should be established, and priority should be given to supporting the development of formal resource recycling enterprises from the resource acquisition link." Wang Yonggang said.
There are also some difficulties in strengthening the application of alternative products. Environmental activist Liu Hua told reporters that, for example, alternative products and corresponding systems are still immature, and replacement costs are high. Taking a polylactic acid degradable plastic bag as an example, the cost is about two to three times that of a traditional polyethylene plastic bag, and in addition, it requires higher temperature and humidity.
"The more product design is considered at the front end, the better." Liu Hua said that eco-design considerations need to be made in the design and production links to minimize the use of materials from the source and avoid excessive packaging; try to ensure the unity of materials and avoid increased recycling. Difficulty and cost; reducing excessive use of additives such as plasticizers.
"Actually, the problem of plastic will ultimately come down to the issue of consumption. Changes in people's consumption behavior can eventually make a huge difference in the industry." Jiang Nanqing said that consumption has become a key element of China's economic life, and consumers need to raise environmental awareness and change their lives. Mode and consumption behavior, finally force the transformation and upgrading of the plastics industry chain.
Reporter Shi Zhipeng Peng Xunwen