June 5 is the World Environment Day, this year's theme is "plastic war quick", calling for global attention to single-use plastic pollution. Since June 1, 2008, China has issued a plastic restriction order, prohibiting the production, sale and use of plastic shopping bags with a thickness of less than 0.025 mm in China.

To this year, the "plastic limit order" has been issued for ten years, the reporter found that in the shopping malls and supermarkets in accordance with the strict implementation of the regulations, but in the wet market, unqualified plastic bags are still repeatedly banned.

The reporter saw in several large supermarkets in Beijing that the plastic bags used in supermarkets were basically printed with size specifications, and the thickness of plastic bags met the requirements of the plastic limit order. At the checkout, plastic shopping bags also have corresponding prices.

Reporters also found that many consumers have a strong sense of environmental protection, to the supermarket shopping with their own shopping bags.

Data show that since the implementation of the plastic limit order to 2016, the use of plastic bags in China's supermarkets has generally reduced by more than 2/3, and the cumulative reduction of plastic shopping bags is about 1.4 million tons. However, in small business markets such as wet markets, the problem of free plastic bags provided by self-employed people is still widespread.

effect discount reasons more express delivery consumption into incremental

After ten years of efforts, "plastic limit order" although achieved certain results, but by the price factors, new demand and other reasons superposition, the effect has gradually weakened. At present, we do not obviously feel the reduction of plastic waste waste and pollution, which is why?

In the major supermarket reporters see, although the use of plastic bags need to charge a certain fee, but choose to pay young consumers are still not a small number.

It is understood that 10 years ago, when the "plastic limit order" was introduced, the per capita disposable income of urban residents in China was 15781 yuan, and last year was 36,396 yuan, but the price of plastic bags was the same as 10 years ago, so the charge is limited to consumers. And now, due to the rise of express delivery, plastic waste has also increased.

Statistics show that in 2016, China's express delivery industry consumed about 14.7 billion plastic bags, while China's three major takeout platforms consumed at least 7.3 billion plastic packaging a year, which far exceeds the annual savings of plastic shopping bags.

In addition to these problems, the existing paid use, in fact, also provides considerable profits for businesses. The reporter learned that the wholesale price of most plastic bags is only a few cents each, and the cost of takeaway boxes is less than 1 yuan, which is far lower than the fees charged by businesses. In the case of profit, businesses have little incentive to reduce the use of plastic bags.

Recycling treatment is difficult to limit plastic still need to start from the front end

In the "plastic limit order" also mentioned, to improve the recycling level of waste plastics. But in real life, in the face of a large amount of consumption of plastic bags and plastic packaging waste, do we have a way to carry out efficient recycling?

In a garbage resource recycling station in Dongcheng District of Beijing, there are dedicated staff here every day to recycle all kinds of garbage from the surrounding communities. However, the proportion of recycled plastic products is very low, only about 9 percent.

It is understood that at present, most of the plastic bags are printed with recycling signs at the bottom, which can be recycled and reused, but because residents do not pay attention to garbage classification, recycling difficulties, can only be incinerated or landfill, which also produces pollution to the environment. In fact, the international focus on the treatment of plastic bags are restricting the use of. In May this year, the European Union proposed legislation to expand the "plastic limit" scope, a total ban on plastic tableware. Experts suggest that China's environmental protection limit should also start from consumer behavior.

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