Dahe.com (government affairs reporter Liu Gaoya) Henan has set a task book and timetable for the governance of white pollution. On June 3, Dahe.com reporters learned from the Henan Provincial Development and Reform Commission that after the study and approval of the Henan Provincial Committee of the CPC Deep Reform Commission, the Provincial Development and Reform Commission and the Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment issued the "Action Plan for Accelerating the Governance of White Pollution and Promoting the Construction of Beautiful Henan" (hereinafter referred to as the "Action Plan") on June 2.

According to the "Action Plan", by the end of 2020, our province will take the lead in banning and restricting the production, sale and use of some plastic products in the urban built-up areas of four pilot cities, including Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Puyang and Xuchang; by the end of 2022, all provincial cities, Jiyuan Demonstration Zone, and provincially-administered counties (cities) will ban and restrict the production, sale and use of some plastic products in the built-up areas. At the same time, the "Action Plan" encourages large supermarkets, shopping malls, etc. to adopt methods such as points-based award redemption to accelerate the promotion of the use of environmentally friendly cloth bags, paper bags and other non-plastic products and degradable plastic alternatives.

"Our province's Action Plan is a detailed measure to implement the national opinions on plastic pollution control, and is a major measure to fight the tough battle against pollution and build a beautiful Henan," said He Xiong, secretary of the Party Leadership Group and director of the Henan Provincial Development and Reform Commission.

Goal: Pilot projects will be launched in four cities, including Zhengzhou and Luoyang, and gradually promoted

The Action Plan takes into account the actual conditions of various parts of the province, and selects four cities with good basic conditions and representativeness, including Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Puyang, and Xuchang, to carry out pilot demonstrations in advance, actively explore the ban and restriction control model for plastic products, and gradually promote it to various cities and counties.

With 2020 and 2022 as the time nodes, the four pilot cities, the provincial cities and the Jiyuan Demonstration Zone, and the provincially-administered counties (cities) are classified and proposed. The goal is to significantly reduce the use of disposable plastic products in the province by 2025, and plastic pollution will be effectively controlled.

According to the plan, by the end of 2020, our province will take the lead in banning or restricting the production, sale and use of some plastic products in the urban built-up areas of four pilot cities, namely Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Puyang and Xuchang.

By the end of 2022, the production, sale and use of some plastic products will be banned or restricted in the built-up areas of all provincial cities, Jiyuan Demonstration Zone and all provincially-administered counties (cities); recyclable and degradable plastic alternative products will take shape, and a number of replicable and popularizable plastic reduction and green logistics models will be formed, and the proportion of plastic waste resource and energy utilization will be greatly improved.

By the end of 2025, the production, sale and use of some plastic products will be banned or restricted in the urban built-up areas of cities at or above the county level in the province, the use of disposable plastic products will be greatly reduced, recyclable and degradable alternative products will be widely used, and plastic pollution will be effectively controlled.

Task: Focus on the ban and restriction of disposable plastic products

The Action Plan adheres to the principle of "strengthening source control and implementing control by classification", and stipulates that the production and sale of a batch of plastic products are prohibited throughout the province, including ultra-thin plastic bags, ultra-thin polyethylene agricultural mulch, disposable foam plastic tableware, disposable plastic cotton swabs and other disposable plastic products with huge usage; it is prohibited to import "foreign garbage" such as waste plastics or use medical waste as raw materials to manufacture plastic products to protect the health and safety of the people; gradually ban the sale of daily chemical products such as toothpaste and shower gel containing plastic microbeads to prevent "invisible" white pollution.

At the same time, taking into account the transformation and development of related industries and the need to adapt to changes in residents' consumption patterns, in the fields of commodity retail, exhibitions, catering, e-commerce express delivery, agricultural mulch, etc., the use of non-degradable plastic bags, disposable plastic products, express plastic packaging, ultra-thin polyethylene agricultural mulch, etc. will be gradually banned or restricted to promote the reduction of plastic products and reduce environmental pollution.

Model: Actively promote the application of alternative products and models

With the implementation of plastic product bans and restrictions in various regions and fields, the demand for recyclable, easily recyclable and degradable alternative materials and products will grow rapidly, with huge market potential.

The Action Plan encourages large supermarkets and shopping malls to adopt points and prize redemption methods to accelerate the promotion of environmentally friendly cloth bags, paper bags and other non-plastic products and degradable plastic alternatives; promote supermarkets, e-commerce, express delivery and other companies to implement integrated packaging of goods and logistics, and improve recycling and recovery rates; guide traditional plastic industry companies to transform and upgrade, promote green design, and supply plastic products that meet relevant standards.

The Action Plan proposes to support Puyang, Zhoukou and other places to carry out technology research and development based on the industrial advantages of bio-based degradable materials and related products, extend the industrial chain, and provide consumers with green and environmentally friendly products such as degradable garbage bags, shopping bags, lunch boxes and agricultural mulch to ensure the convenience of residents' daily lives.

Measures: Standardize the recycling of plastic waste

Standardizing the classification, recycling, resource utilization and harmless disposal of plastic waste is an important means to reduce the stock of plastic waste and reduce environmental risks.

The Action Plan proposes that, in combination with the implementation of garbage classification, more facilities should be added in places where a large amount of plastic waste is generated, such as office buildings, airports, stations, ports and docks, to increase the frequency of removal and transportation, and standardize the recycling and removal of plastic waste; focus on carrying out special cleaning of plastic waste in urban and rural junctions, environmentally sensitive areas, along roads and rivers, ponds and ditches, etc., to prevent the random stacking and dumping of plastic waste; accelerate the construction of venous industrial parks, encourage enterprises and projects for the resource utilization of waste plastics to settle in, and promote the cluster development of the resource and energy utilization industry of plastic waste.

Publicity: Advocate green and environmentally friendly consumption

Plastic products are widely used in all aspects of people's daily life. While providing great convenience, excessive use can easily cause white pollution problems. It is necessary to strengthen publicity and guidance, adhere to conservation first, and guide consumers to reduce the use of plastic products.

In accordance with the requirements of the Action Plan, all localities and relevant departments will organize themed publicity activities such as "Control White Pollution and Protect Beautiful Homes", carry out demonstration and guidance by public institutions, media publicity, volunteer services, prize quizzes, and green and low-carbon life concepts into communities and campuses, and other colorful activities, vigorously publicize green environmental protection concepts and green life common sense, strengthen the publicity and implementation of plastic ban and restriction policies and requirements, create a good public opinion atmosphere, guide the whole society to pay attention to and participate in white pollution control, and reduce the use of plastic products.

Guarantee: Multiple measures for administrative management and market guidance

White pollution control involves a wide range of fields and multiple subjects. It is necessary to adhere to the combination of law enforcement supervision and industry self-discipline, and accelerate the construction of a multi-governance system with the participation of government, enterprises, industry organizations, and the public.

The Action Plan proposes a series of measures: in terms of improving the legal system, by formulating (amending) relevant local laws and regulations, there is a law to rely on; in terms of credit system construction, explore the inclusion of illegal production, sales, and use of plastic products in the record of dishonesty, and carry out punishment; in terms of law enforcement supervision, promote comprehensive law enforcement for ecological and environmental protection, strengthen assessment and accountability, and include key issues in white pollution control in the provincial ecological and environmental protection inspection; in terms of industry self-discipline, give full play to the role of relevant industry associations, and guide plastic product companies to accelerate transformation and quality development.

He Xiong said, "In the next step, the Provincial Development and Reform Commission will fully implement the work arrangements of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government, establish a work coordination mechanism with relevant units, strengthen overall coordination, guide all localities to do a good job in white pollution control related work, complete the various goals and tasks of the Action Plan on time, effectively control white pollution, and improve the level of ecological civilization in urban and rural areas throughout the province."

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