From "plastic limit" to "plastic ban", action should be faster.

As the waste left by human activities on the earth, the environmental pollution caused by disposable plastics has been widely concerned around the world. Strengthening the control of the consumption and use of disposable plastics is becoming the consensus and common action of the international community--

From "plastic limit" to "plastic ban", action should be faster.

Author: Deng Yixiang (Researcher, Chinese Academy of Environmental Sciences)

Wang Yanping (Wang Yanping is a graduate student of Shanghai Second Polytechnic University)

Chenglong Zhang Professor, Shanghai Second Polytechnic University)

Disposable plastic pollution and its derived microplastics (plastic fragments with particle size ≤ 5mm) secondary pollution have attracted great attention from the international community in recent years. With the theme of plastic pollution control on World Environment Day 2018, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) calls on countries around the world to work together to change the existing international environmental governance pattern and jointly combat the problem of disposable plastic pollution. In March 2019, the fourth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted the latest special resolution on "marine plastic waste and microplastics", which for the first time listed disposable plastic pollution as a key prevention and control area, and encouraged countries to eliminate the environmental impact of microplastics from the perspective of the whole life cycle.

Restricting the use of disposable plastics has become an international trend.

In 2019, the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum exhibited a "giant ring" composed of nearly 20000 recycled plastic products to remind people to reduce the generation and disposal of plastic waste. Xinhua News Agency

Students and environmentalists wear plastic bags to call attention to plastic pollution in Kolkata, India, in 2019. Xinhua News Agency

With the joint efforts of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), various environmental organizations and governments, as of July 2018, 127 countries have issued policies or action plans for reducing the use of disposable plastic bags, mainly including taxation, voluntary agreements, and comprehensive bans. Among them, 27 countries restrict the market circulation of disposable plastic products in the form of laws, or for specific products (such as tableware, straw, packaging) or materials to introduce special restrictions.

On World Oceans Day 2015, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called on countries to phase out the use of plastic microbeads in personal toiletries and cosmetics. The United States, Japan, the European Union, the United Kingdom and other countries and regions began to respond and take corresponding measures. California, New York, Washington, D. C., Los Angeles and other cities have passed the ban on the use of disposable plastic bags. In September 2016, France passed a new law requiring that 50% of disposable plastic tableware raw materials such as dishes, cups and forks must come from biological materials and can be used for home composting degradation. The law will take effect in 2020. The European Commission also proposed to ban the use of 10 kinds of disposable plastic products such as cotton swabs and plastic straws, and let manufacturers bear the cost of cleaning up waste.

In Asia, Bangladesh, Vietnam and many other countries and regions have made attempts to ban or tax the excessive use of plastic bags, but due to the low level of economic development and unsustainable policies, the implementation is not ideal.

African countries are generally underdeveloped economies, but 34 of the 55 countries (nearly 62%) have enacted relevant laws to ban the use of disposable plastic packaging or tax it. Rwanda began to completely ban the use of plastic bags as early as 2008; Kenya introduced a strict plastic bag restriction policy in 2017, and illegal organizations or individuals faced fines or imprisonment of up to US $380000; following the plastic bag restriction policy, Kenya A ban on all disposable plastic products will be implemented in designated "protected areas" before June 5, 2020.

China to strengthen the treatment of disposable plastic pollution

On December 31, 2007, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Notice on Restricting the Production, Sale and Use of Plastic Shopping Bags" (also known as the "Plastic Restriction Order"), requiring a nationwide ban on the production, sale, and use of plastic shopping bags with a thickness of less than 0.025mm. Hainan Province took the lead in banning the production, sale and use of disposable non-degradable plastic products throughout the province, and promised to establish and improve the system of local regulations and standards and improve the supervision and law enforcement system by the end of 2019; by the end of 2025, the production, sale and use of plastic products listed in the list of disposable non-degradable plastic products prohibited from production, sale and use in Hainan Province (for trial implementation) are completely prohibited. The Regulations of Shanghai Municipality on the Management of Domestic Waste stipulate that starting from July 1, 2019, the internal offices of party and government agencies and institutions will stop using disposable cups and utensils, hotels shall not take the initiative to provide disposable daily necessities, and the catering industry shall not take the initiative to supply disposable tableware.

In January 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced the Opinions on Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollution, requiring that by the end of 2022, the consumption of disposable plastic products will be significantly reduced and alternative products will be promoted.

Disposable plastics are widely used in daily life because they are cheap and convenient, and it takes a long time to gradually reduce or even completely ban them. At present, China still lacks a clear and effective management mechanism in reducing the use of plastics in the whole society: the substitution capacity of alternative products (biodegradable plastics, photodegradable plastics, etc.) is not clear, and the cost is high and it is difficult to scale up, resulting in a serious lag in the renewal and improvement of China's policy on alternatives. There are no relevant laws and regulations for reference in the production and sales of products containing plastic microbeads represented by personal toiletries; economic measures (taxation system) to restrict the circulation of disposable plastics have not yet been formulated, and there is a lack of systematic research on the scope of taxation, the determination of tax subjects (producers or consumers), and the use of taxes.

Whole Process Management Lay a Solid Foundation for "Total Plastic Ban"

By advocating green consumption and focusing on the concept of green development, "total plastic ban" will help to form a new pattern of harmonious development between man and nature and promote the construction of a beautiful China. Although China has issued some policies and regulations on the management of disposable plastics, the relevant institutional measures still need to be further strengthened, and need to be improved from the source control, process use, resource recovery and other links, so as to lay a solid foundation for the "comprehensive ban on plastics.

First, improve policies to reduce disposable plastics from the source.

It is suggested that disposable plastic films, bag products, and even disposable plastic products in medical, construction and other industries should be included in the scope of "plastic restriction order", so as to strengthen the risk control of environmental microplastic pollution. Relevant departments need to formulate a list of disposable non-degradable plastic products that are prohibited from production, sale, and use as soon as possible, and regularly conduct environmental risk assessments on plastic products of high concern, and continue to expand the list, and gradually realize the change from "plastic restriction" to "partial plastic ban". ", and finally implement a" total plastic ban ".

In the process of single-use plastic management, a number of economic tools, including extended producer responsibility system, polluter pays principle, degradable plastic production subsidies or tax relief policies, can effectively internalize the external cost of single-use plastic waste. For example, in order to reduce the plastic packaging of beverages and takeaway food, a deposit return mechanism can be introduced to enhance consumers' awareness of recycling through an incentive mechanism and improve the secondary utilization rate of materials.

Substitution is also an effective option to reduce the consumer use of single-use plastics. For environmentally friendly alternative materials and products, the state should provide policy incentives, including tax reduction and exemption, provision of R & D funds and technology incubation, so as to promote relevant R & D activities and improve market competitiveness.

Second, repeated use, change disposable plastic for multiple plastic.

In the use of links, should be as far as possible to improve the reuse of disposable plastic. Although traditional plastic bags are designed to be disposable, they have multiple use values. For example, the plastic tote bag after the goods can be used to collect household waste. The government can strengthen and improve the following work: encourage the research and development of durable express boxes, establish a recycling-cleaning-reuse process, and replace the existing disposable express packaging; Encourage the take-out or express delivery industry to use recyclable packaging instead of plastic wrap, plastic bags, etc., to improve resource utilization; Further increase the thickness of agricultural land film, improve aging resistance, thereby increasing its use times; For disposable plastics in construction, tourism and other fields, it is also necessary to improve the reuse.

Thirdly, turn waste into treasure and strengthen the recycling and recycling of disposable plastics.

The producers of disposable plastic waste, including residents, enterprises and institutions, must take the main responsibility for the recycling of disposable plastic waste produced by themselves. At present, China's waste recycling work still relies heavily on manual sorting, and the recycling industry practitioners present a fragmented and disordered state. Advanced separation equipment has been used in the world, which can systematically separate different materials, but the one-time investment in equipment is high. my country needs to increase investment in the construction of disposable plastic products recycling infrastructure, focus on rebuilding and rectifying the urban waste material recycling market, encourage private capital to enter the solid waste disposal industry, and ensure the maximization of environmental benefits and waste minimization.

Finally, the whole society participates in the management of disposable plastics.

Reducing the use and pollution of disposable plastics is the common responsibility of the whole society, and the improvement of citizens' environmental awareness and joint participation are the basis for controlling disposable plastic pollution. Government departments and relevant social organizations should enhance public awareness of the environmental impact of disposable plastics through publicity and education, and form a green consumption concept, so as to take active actions to reduce the consumption and use of disposable plastics and supervise the problems in the management of disposable plastics.

Guangming Daily (April 25, 2020, 05 edition)

Source: Guangming Daily-Guangming Daily