Environmental protection organizations offer suggestions: Incorporate the decline in plastic waste production into government assessments

The National Development and Reform Commission's public solicitation of opinions on the prevention and control of plastic waste pollution is drawing to a close.

A number of environmental protection organizations and business alliances have publicly spoken out and put forward targeted suggestions around the problem of plastic waste and its impact.

Most opinions believe that over-consumption and single-use culture are the root causes of plastic environmental problems, and there is an urgent need to reduce the use of all plastics, especially the excessive, unnecessary and single-use of plastics.

Corresponding suggestions include preventing the generation of plastic waste from the source, taking the problem of plastic waste into consideration from the product and packaging design stage, and gradually phasing out single-use plastics and curb the use of non-durable plastics, etc. For example, set a red line for the production of disposable tableware and reduce the target year by year, try to replace plastic shopping bags with cloth bags for deposit systems, and use plant-based fillers in express packaging.

The Zero Waste Alliance proposes that economic growth, material resource consumption and waste generation should be used as indicators, that is, similar to reducing energy consumption and water consumption per unit of GDP, the amount of waste generated per unit of GDP should also be reduced. From the perspective of implementation, a package of work goals and timetables for reducing plastic waste should be set, an implementation plan should be formulated, departments should be divided and included in government assessment.

In addition, degradable plastics, which are considered to be one of the solutions to the problem of plastic pollution, have also been questioned. Some people point out that due to the lack of relevant standards, many "degradable materials" on the market can only be partially degraded and thus fragmented, which will still bring environmental problems.

“Reduce the production and use of single-use plastic products from the source”

The mass manufacture, use and disposal of single-use plastic products is regarded as the most "tough" problem facing plastic pollution today.

A number of companies and environmental protection organizations have expounded on the consequences of single-use plastic products that cannot be recycled and can only enter mixed garbage or even enter the natural environment, and put forward suggestions in this regard.

On January 28, the Zero Waste Alliance, which is committed to promoting the solution of my country's garbage crisis, stated that their opinions include that the production and use of single-use plastic products and plastic packaging should be controlled from the source, and the principle of priority reduction at source should be used, and the waste Manage the principle of priority order and precautionary principle, redesign solutions and materials according to the requirements of the extended producer responsibility system, and provide policy preferences for alternative solutions and alternative products, guide social innovators and capital to enter the above fields, and form business models , to create a new industrial growth point.

Single-use plastics—shopping bags, are considered one of the most difficult plastics to recycle.

The Zero Waste Alliance proposes that plastic shopping bags can be replaced with cloth bags: in order to solve the problem of people forgetting to bring them, a cloth bag deposit system can be used. As long as you remember to bring them once, you can return the deposit once and return the deposit; in addition, you can allow During a certain transition period, high environmental protection taxes will be levied on plastic bags, their selling prices will be raised, and people will be encouraged to get rid of their dependence on plastic bags by means of price regulation.

In addition, in response to the sharp increase in the use of disposable tableware for takeaways in recent years, the Zero Waste Alliance stated that, first, the total amount should be controlled, a red line for the production of disposable tableware should be set, and the target should be reduced year by year; secondly, based on the entry of these tableware into the mix The environmental impact brought by the garbage will impose a high environmental tax on it and increase its cost; third, support the development, pilot and promotion of the solution of reusable takeaway tableware with preferential policies.

The Qiwu Resource Recycling Technology Company, which is committed to solving the problem of garbage siege, also released its suggestions to the National Development and Reform Commission on its WeChat account "R Cube Space".

Zhang Miao, one of the company's founders, put forward two suggestions for the widespread use of single-use plastics in daily life, including encouraging the use of plant-based fillers in express packaging and prohibiting the use of single-use tableware in restaurants.

Zhang Miao pointed out that in order to reduce collisions, plastic fillers such as air bags, bubble films, and white foam shells are used in express packaging. Such plastic products are not easy to be recycled due to their large space and light weight. Zhang Miao suggested that some pure natural alternatives, such as pine needles, straw, corn husks, etc., can be considered from the perspective of local materials. Biomass raw materials that are easily degradable can also be included in the category of substitutes, such as foam fillings based on corn starch.

However, regarding the feasibility of this proposal, Zhang Miao admitted that he has not yet considered further. She said that whether other substitutes for fillers will increase the cost, and whether policies may be introduced to encourage the development of related industries, these still require specific analysis.

“Standards for Standardizing Degradable Plastic Market Placement”

When it comes to the solution of plastic waste, the most frequently mentioned is to replace it with degradable plastic.

The Zero Waste Alliance proposes to standardize the market launch standards of degradable plastics, that is, to require that all degradable plastic products put on the market must be compatible with the garbage classification collection and treatment system, and at the same time avoid toxic and harmful chemicals and substances. In particular, it is necessary to prohibit sellers from labeling degradable plastics as "degradable in the environment".

This suggestion stems from the public's previous doubts about "green packaging" and "degradable packaging". On November 2, 2017, ten departments including the State Post Administration, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Science and Technology jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Coordinating the Promotion of Green Packaging in the Express Delivery Industry", stating that "by 2020, degradable green packaging materials will be used. The application ratio will be increased to 50%".

However, the relevant departments have not yet stipulated the definition and standards of "green packaging", the environmental protection performance of degradable packaging materials, etc. Therefore, the Zero Waste Alliance proposed "prudent development and promotion of degradable plastics".

“Degradable materials are still essentially single-use. ”Zero Waste Alliance pointed out that the one-sided emphasis on the biodegradability of degradable plastics may lead to the random disposal of related wastes, contamination of recyclables and increase the cost of biomass waste disposal.

Mao Da, a Ph.D. in environmental history from Beijing Normal University and the founder of zero-waste in Beijing, said that there are strict conditions for the degradability of plastics. Or completely degraded by microorganisms into natural elements.

Degradable plastics also challenge sustainable land use and sorting recycling systems. Specifically, the recycling method of degradable plastics is different from that of traditional plastics, but it is often mixed into the recycling process of traditional plastics. To separate and collect "recyclable" or "non-recyclable" plastics, "degradable" or "non-degradable" plastics, single plastics or mixed plastics, is practically difficult and costly, and will also Challenges to the collection process and the quality of recycled materials further exacerbate the low plastic recycling rate.

The Zero Waste Alliance recommends that the environmental and social impacts of the full life cycle of degradable plastics be explored, especially in comparison to fossil-sourced or non-degradable plastics. Formulate sustainability standards for plastic materials, comprehensively guide the industry and the whole society to rationally develop natural resources, rationally use various plastic materials, and rationally develop new plastic materials to minimize the negative impact of the plastic economy on the environment and society.