In January 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the Opinions on Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollution, proposing that by the end of 2020, the use of non-degradable disposable plastic straws will be banned in China's catering industry. Recently, the reporter visited some local catering enterprises to learn about the implementation of this requirement.

In Haikou city, Hainan Province, the reporter visited Mingmen Square, Riyue Square and other shopping malls, and found that beverage shops and fast food restaurants in these places no longer provide plastic straws, but paper straws. In a fast food chain in Friendship Sunshine City, the reporter ordered a "coconut water drink", which was provided with a paper straw. From the actual use experience of the reporter, the paper straw has enough thickness and will not bend easily, and it is no problem for drinking cold drinks or room temperature drinks. However, many consumers reflect that when drinking hot drinks, the paper straw experience is not good.

Ms. Fu, who works in a foreign trade company in Haikou City, will order a cup of milk tea every few days. She says paper straws tend to soften and bend in hot drinks, making them less palatable. Other consumers said that paper straws "have a pulp smell, and sometimes the small ingredients in the drink cannot be sucked up".

In Shanghai, some restaurant chains have started to layout earlier, eliminating non-degradable disposable plastic straws and promoting the use of paper straws instead. However, the reporter found during the visit that many consumers are not satisfied with paper straws. From the end of last year to the beginning of this year, the Yangtze River Delta Consumer Protection Commission Union carried out a special research on the consumption side of the new plastic ban regulations, and the results showed that 56% of respondents were unwilling to use paper straws.

Some businesses in the use of paper straws for a period of time, out of consideration of consumer satisfaction, and then restore the use of plastic straws, or provide both plastic and paper straws. This is more likely to happen in smaller stores.

A coffee shop staff told reporters that some businesses are reluctant to use biodegradable straws, in addition to the consideration of consumer experience, cost is also an important reason. "Among the alternatives to plastic straws, paper straws are relatively cheap, but the cost is also about 3 times that of plastic straws. Some of the more user-friendly biodegradable straws are more expensive, and their mass use will significantly increase operating costs." "Our store is also actively trying out other types of biodegradable straws, hoping to strike a balance between environmental protection, consumer experience and cost, as well as offering environmentally friendly and affordable options," the employee said.

Feng Yuhong, director of the Analysis and Test Center of Hainan University, believes that in order to reduce the dependence on non-degradable plastic products, optimizing the supply of degradable alternatives is very important, "to promote degradable products, it is inevitable that there is a relatively unadaptive process, while strengthening guidance, but also in all aspects of material continuous improvement."

Tang Jiansheng, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Commission, said that the survey shows that many consumers are willing to support the ban on plastic with practical actions, but they need to focus on product upgrades and provide better experience of degradable products, taking into account environmental protection requirements and consumer experience.

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