Are you ready to say goodbye to disposable tableware?
Xinhua News Agency, Shanghai, June 27Title: Are you ready to say goodbye to disposable tableware?
Xinhua News Agency reporters Du Kang and Yang Youzong
After get off work, I passed by a dessert shop and bought a drink and took a disposable straw; when I was working overtime, I ordered a takeaway, and the merchant provided disposable chopsticks and knives and forks... Starting next month, this common scene in life will be restricted. According to the new regulations, starting from July 1, Shanghai's catering service industry shall not actively provide consumers with four types of disposable tableware, such as chopsticks and spoons.
Express packaging and disposable tableware are one of the largest sources of incremental household waste. Reducing plastic waste and white pollution requires consumers to start from the little things in their daily lives, and relevant parties to accelerate the popularization and promotion of environmentally friendly tableware.
Say goodbye to disposable tableware, the catering industry "enters the state" in advance
"If you eat in the store, we can provide you with stainless steel knives and forks. If you take it out, we will not actively provide disposable tableware." At noon on the 26th, in a dessert shop on Huaihai Middle Road in Shanghai, the staff patiently explained to Miss Huang, a customer who came to buy desserts.
According to the "Catalogue of Disposable Tableware that Shanghai Catering Services Are Not Proactively Provided", starting from July 1, 2019, catering service providers shall not proactively provide consumers with disposable tableware in the catalogue, including disposable chopsticks, spoons, forks, knives and other four types of tableware.
The countdown to the implementation of the new regulations has begun. The reporter visited many restaurants and coffee shops in Shanghai and found that each store has entered the state in advance. At a FamilyMart convenience store in Minhang District, Shanghai, the staff said that the store will still reserve disposable tableware such as chopsticks, but it will only be provided to consumers when customers make clear demands.
The restrictions on the provision of more than these four types of disposable tableware. A staff member of a Starbucks coffee shop in Xuhui District, Shanghai said that the disposable plastic straws in the store have been replaced with paper straws. "Unless customers make a clear request, paper straws will not be provided proactively." The reporter saw that the condiment table of the store only had sugar and some seasoning powder.
Compared with in-store services, the new regulations have a greater impact on the takeaway industry. At a Western restaurant in Xuhui District, Shanghai, the bottom of a takeaway receipt printed by the cashier staff showed: "Two forks and one straw." The staff explained that consumers will be prompted to mark the number of tableware required when placing an order on the takeaway platform. "If there is no mark, it is assumed that this takeaway does not require us to provide disposable tableware."
Meituan Takeaway said that starting next month, when users in Shanghai place orders, "the number of tableware" will become a required option before submitting an order. Ele.me said that starting from July 1, it will use green eye-catching fonts to remind consumers to attract users to choose the "recommended no tableware" option.
Pollution and waste behind "throwing it away"
While disposable chopsticks and knives and forks bring convenience to consumers, they also cause astonishing waste. Reporters observed that a takeaway order generally contains two to three plastic lunch boxes, one to two plastic packaging bags, one to two pairs of disposable chopsticks, in addition to plastic spoons, straws, etc.
Industry experts said that the lunch boxes currently used in takeaway transactions include PP lunch boxes, PS lunch boxes, paper lunch boxes, aluminum foil lunch boxes, etc. Among them, the most widely used plastic products such as PP lunch boxes and PS lunch boxes are non-degradable under natural conditions.
Under increasingly stringent regulations, major takeaway platforms have previously proposed plans and promised to reduce the use of disposable tableware, but the actual effect is not ideal. Mr. Zhang, a citizen of Qingdao, said that even if you choose "no tableware", the meals delivered will also have disposable chopsticks and knives and forks.
Mr. Ma, the owner of a fast food restaurant in Minhang District, Shanghai, said that previously, for orders that did not check the tableware by default, disposable tableware was not provided, but many complaints were received. "It is better to do less than more. Whether you choose it or not, it will be provided, which saves time and avoids trouble."
Obviously, reducing the use of disposable tableware cannot rely solely on industry self-discipline. According to the "Shanghai Municipal Domestic Waste Management Regulations", if a catering service provider or a catering delivery service provider proactively provides consumers with disposable chopsticks, spoons and other tableware, the market supervision department shall order it to correct it within a time limit; if it fails to correct it within the time limit, it shall be fined not less than 500 yuan but not more than 5,000 yuan.
Both restricting disposable tableware and providing alternatives
"The regulations only stipulate that businesses do not proactively provide disposable tableware. If everyone proactively asks for it for convenience, won't it still fail to achieve the effect of environmental protection?" Ms. Su, a Shanghai citizen, expressed her concerns.
"The development of green consumption habits requires long-term persistence." Du Huanzheng, director of the Institute of Circular Economy at Tongji University, said that on the one hand, it is necessary to further enhance the public's awareness of green consumption, and on the other hand, the use of environmentally friendly tableware should be promoted.
The reporter found in many stores of a fast food brand that the disposable paper boxes and paper bags used to hold chicken wings and French fries were replaced with reusable black meal baskets. When using, a layer of oil-proof paper is placed on the meal basket to prevent food from directly contacting the meal basket.
"By making the use of a certain product "inconvenient", consumers are forced to use it less, thereby reducing the generation of garbage at the source." Du Huanzheng said that in addition to restricting the provision of disposable plastic tableware, we should also explore restricting the production and sales of related disposable products. Only by taking multiple measures can we truly achieve the reduction of plastic waste.