According to the website of the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued a notice on the issuance of the "14th Five-Year Plan" plastic pollution control action plan.

Development and Reform Environmental Resources [2021] No. 1298

Central Propaganda Department, Central Cyberspace Affairs Office, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Health Commission, State Administration for Market Regulation, State Administration of State Administration, Forestry and Grassland Bureau, Railway Bureau, Civil Aviation Administration, Post Office, Food and Drug Administration, Rural Revitalization Bureau, China Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, Development and Reform Commissions, Ecological Environment Departments (Bureaus) of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

In order to further strengthen the full-chain governance of plastic pollution and promote greater results in the governance of white pollution in the "14th Five-Year Plan", we have formulated the "14th Five-Year Plan Plastic Pollution Control Action Plan", which is now issued. Please organize and implement it conscientiously.

I. General Requirements

Adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Plenary Sessions of the 19th Central Committee, thoroughly implement Xi Jinping's Thought on Ecological Civilization, further improve the full-chain governance system for plastic pollution, consolidate the responsibilities of local governments, departments and enterprises, focus on key links, key areas and key regions, actively promote the reduction of plastic production and use at the source, scientifically and steadily promote plastic alternative products, accelerate the standardized recycling and utilization of plastic waste, focus on improving the level of safe disposal of plastic waste at the end, vigorously carry out special cleaning and rectification of plastic waste, significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste landfill and environmental leakage, and promote the significant results of white pollution control.

II. Main Objectives

By 2025, the plastic pollution control mechanism will operate more effectively, the responsibilities of local governments, departments and enterprises will be effectively implemented, the full-chain governance of plastic product production, circulation, consumption, recycling and end-of-life disposal will be more effective, and white pollution will be effectively curbed. In terms of source reduction, the phenomenon of unreasonable use of disposable plastic products in key areas such as commodity retail, e-commerce, take-out, express delivery, and accommodation has been greatly reduced. E-commerce express parcels have basically stopped secondary packaging, and the scale of recyclable express packaging has reached 10 million. In terms of recycling and disposal, cities at the prefecture level and above have basically established a system for the classified placement, collection, transportation, and treatment of domestic waste in accordance with local conditions, and the efficiency of plastic waste collection and transportation has been greatly improved; China's urban domestic waste incineration capacity has reached about 800,000 tons/day, and the amount of plastic waste directly landfilled has been greatly reduced; the recycling rate of agricultural film has reached 85%, and China's residual film has achieved zero growth. In terms of garbage cleaning, historical open-air plastic garbage in key waters, key tourist attractions, and rural areas has been basically cleared. The leakage of plastic garbage into the natural environment has been effectively controlled.

III. Main tasks

(I) Actively promote the reduction of plastic production and use at the source.

1. Actively promote green design of plastic products. Focusing on disposable plastic products, formulate relevant standards for green design, optimize product structure design, reduce the complexity of product material design, and enhance the recyclability of plastic products. (The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is responsible for this) Prohibit the production of ultra-thin plastic shopping bags with a thickness of less than 0.025 mm, polyethylene agricultural mulch with a thickness of less than 0.01 mm, daily chemical products containing plastic microbeads and other products that endanger the environment and human health. (The State Administration for Market Regulation and the State Drug Administration are responsible for their respective duties) Strengthen the publicity and implementation of standards for restricting excessive packaging of goods, and strengthen law enforcement and supervision of excessive packaging of goods. (The State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology are responsible for their respective duties)

2. Continue to promote the reduction of the use of disposable plastic products. Implement the relevant national regulations on prohibiting and restricting the sale and use of some plastic products. (The Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Civil Aviation Administration, the State Post Bureau and other departments are responsible for their respective duties) Formulate the "Management Measures for the Use and Reporting of Disposable Plastic Products", establish and improve the reporting system for the use and recycling of disposable plastic products, and urge and guide operators such as retail, e-commerce, catering, and accommodation to fulfill their main responsibilities. (The Ministry of Commerce shall take the lead) Supervise and guide e-commerce, food delivery and other platform companies and express delivery companies to formulate platform rules for reducing disposable plastic products. (The Ministry of Commerce and the State Post Bureau shall be responsible according to their respective responsibilities) Release a recommended catalog of green packaging products, promote the integration of products and express packaging, promote the original direct delivery of e-commerce express parcels, and significantly reduce the secondary packaging of e-commerce products in the delivery link. (The State Post Bureau and the Ministry of Commerce shall be responsible according to their respective responsibilities) Carry out pilot projects for the large-scale application of recyclable express packaging. (The National Development and Reform Commission and the State Post Bureau shall be responsible according to their respective responsibilities) Promote the recycling and sharing of standardized logistics turnover boxes throughout China. (The Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Commerce, the State Post Bureau and other departments shall be responsible according to their respective responsibilities) Accelerate the implementation of the green product certification system for express packaging. (The State Administration for Market Regulation shall take the lead) Play the exemplary role of public institutions and take the lead in reducing the use of disposable plastic products. Explore the pilot of replacing plastic bottled water with direct drinking water purifiers in reception and training venues under government agencies. (The State Administration of State Administration of Market Regulation shall take the lead) Strengthen publicity, education and scientific popularization, guide the public to develop green consumption habits, reduce the consumption of disposable plastic products, and consciously fulfill the obligation to classify and dispose of domestic waste. (The Central Propaganda Department, the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the State Administration of State Administration, the China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives and other departments are responsible according to their respective duties)

3. Scientifically and prudently promote plastic alternative products. Fully consider the resource and environmental impact of bamboo and wood products, paper products, degradable plastic products, etc. throughout their life cycle, and improve the quality and food safety standards of related products. (The State Administration for Market Regulation, the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment are responsible according to their respective duties) Conduct research on the degradation mechanism and impact of different types of degradable plastics, and scientifically evaluate their environmental safety and controllability. (The Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs are responsible according to their respective duties) Improve the standard system, issue biodegradable plastic standards, standardize application areas, and clarify degradation conditions and disposal methods. (The State Administration for Market Regulation is responsible) Increase the research and development of key core technologies and transformation of results of degradable plastics, continuously improve product quality and performance, and reduce application costs. (The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology are responsible according to their respective duties) Promote the orderly development of the biodegradable plastic industry, guide the rational layout of the industry, and prevent blind expansion of production capacity. (The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shall be responsible for the division of responsibilities) Accelerate the scientific research and promotion of the application of fully biodegradable agricultural films. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs shall take the lead) Strengthen the construction of degradable plastic testing capabilities, strictly investigate and punish the false labeling and counterfeiting of degradable plastics, and standardize the industry order. (The State Administration for Market Regulation shall take the lead)

(II) Accelerate the promotion of standardized recycling and disposal of plastic waste.

4. Strengthen the standardized recycling and removal of plastic waste. In combination with the classification of domestic waste, promote the integration of urban renewable resource recycling outlets and domestic waste classification outlets, and reasonably arrange domestic waste classification collection facilities and equipment in large communities, office buildings, shopping malls, hospitals, schools, venues, etc., improve the efficiency of plastic waste collection and transportation, and improve the standardization level of plastic waste recycling. (The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Administration of State Administration shall take the lead) Further strengthen the standardized collection of plastic waste in the fields of passenger transportation such as roads, railways, water transportation, and civil aviation, and promote the effective connection between the collection of transportation vehicles, the reception of stations, and the urban public transportation and disposal system. (The Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the National Railway Administration, and the Civil Aviation Administration are responsible for their respective duties) E-commerce platforms (including food delivery platforms), express delivery companies, sanitation units, recycling companies, etc. are encouraged to carry out multi-party cooperation to increase the standardized recycling of plastic waste such as express packaging and food delivery boxes. (The Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the State Post Bureau are responsible for their respective duties) Supply and marketing cooperatives are supported to vigorously carry out standardized recycling of plastic waste. (The China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives is responsible for the lead)

5. Establish and improve the rural plastic waste collection, transportation and disposal system. Improve the rural domestic waste classification collection, transportation and disposal system, build a long-term mechanism for stable operation, strengthen daily supervision, and continuously improve the level of operation and management. According to local conditions, coordinate the construction and services of facilities at the county, township and village levels, and reasonably choose the collection, transportation and disposal mode. Deepen the implementation of the agricultural film recycling action, continue to carry out the construction of agricultural film recycling demonstration counties, promote the application of standard ground film, and promote mechanized picking, professional recycling and resource utilization. Carry out pesticide packaging recycling actions. Support and guide large-scale breeding households, agricultural production service organizations, renewable resource recycling enterprises and other relevant responsible entities to actively carry out the recycling of waste agricultural and fishery materials such as irrigation equipment, fishing nets and fishing gear, and rice seedling trays. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the National Rural Revitalization Bureau, and the China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives are responsible for their respective duties)

6. Increase the recycling of plastic waste. Support the construction of plastic waste recycling projects, publish a list of standardized enterprises for comprehensive utilization of waste plastics, guide related projects to gather in resource recycling bases, industrial resource comprehensive utilization bases and other parks, and promote the large-scale, standardized and clean development of the plastic waste recycling industry. (The National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment are responsible for their respective duties) Strengthen environmental supervision of plastic waste recycling enterprises, increase the rectification of small and scattered enterprises and illegal and irregular behaviors, and prevent secondary pollution. (The Ministry of Ecology and Environment is responsible) Improve relevant standards for recycled plastics, accelerate the promotion and application of advanced and applicable technologies and equipment for the recycling of waste plastics, and encourage the same-level and high-value-added utilization of plastic waste. (The State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shall be responsible for the division of responsibilities)

7. Improve the level of harmless disposal of plastic waste. Comprehensively promote the construction of domestic waste incineration facilities, support local governments to make up for the shortcomings in domestic waste incineration treatment capacity as soon as possible, and in principle, cities at or above the prefecture level and county towns with incineration treatment capacity or construction conditions shall no longer plan and build new primary garbage landfill facilities; support areas with sparse population, small amount of garbage generated, and no large-scale garbage incineration facilities to build incineration treatment facilities through cross-regional co-construction and sharing, or carry out decentralized and small-scale incineration treatment facility pilot projects after technical evaluation and demonstration; significantly reduce the amount of direct landfill of plastic waste. Strengthen the comprehensive remediation of existing landfills, improve the level of operation and management, standardize daily operations, prohibit the random dumping and storage of domestic waste, and prevent the leakage of historical landfill plastic waste into the environment. (The National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment shall be responsible for the division of responsibilities)

(III) Vigorously carry out the cleanup and remediation of plastic waste in key areas.

8. Strengthen the cleanup and remediation of plastic waste in rivers, lakes, and seas. Give full play to the role of the river and lake chief system platform at all levels, implement special cleaning of plastic waste within the management scope of rivers, lakes and reservoirs, establish a regular cleaning mechanism, and strive to basically eliminate open-air plastic waste in key waters. (The National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the Ministry of Water Resources are responsible for their respective duties) Formulate an implementation plan for plastic pollution control in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. (The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment are responsible for the lead) Conduct monitoring and investigation of marine plastic waste and microplastics. Implement special cleaning of plastic waste in bays, estuaries, beaches and other areas, promote coastal cities and counties to establish a long-term mechanism for cleaning up marine plastic waste, and keep key coastal areas free of obvious plastic waste. (The Ministry of Ecology and Environment is responsible for the lead) Increase the number of garbage collection facilities in activity places such as beaches and increase the frequency of garbage removal. (The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development is responsible for the lead) Organize and carry out relevant research on the mechanism, monitoring, and prevention and control technology of plastic waste and microplastic pollution in rivers, lakes, and seas. (The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment are responsible for their respective duties)

Encourage ships to collect, transfer and dispose of ship garbage including plastic waste in strict accordance with relevant laws and regulations, urge shipping companies to fulfill their main responsibilities, and crack down on illegal discharge of ship garbage in accordance with the law. (The Ministry of Transport is responsible for this) Ensure the normal operation of port reception facilities for domestic waste from ships, promote the effective connection between port reception facilities and urban public transfer and disposal facilities, implement the main responsibilities of each link in the reception, transfer and disposal of domestic waste from ships, improve the connection and cooperation of the whole process of "ship-port-city" for domestic waste from ships, and strictly implement the policy of free reception of domestic waste from ships in inland ports of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. (The Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment are responsible for their respective duties)

9. Deepen the cleanup and rectification of plastic waste in tourist attractions. Establish and improve a regular management mechanism for domestic waste in tourist attractions, increase the number of domestic waste collection facilities in scenic spots, promote the integrated collection, transportation and disposal of domestic waste in tourist attractions and urban and rural domestic waste, and timely clean up and collect plastic waste in scenic spots. Advocate civilized tourism, strengthen education and guidance for tourists, persuade and stop the random discarding of beverage bottles, packaging bags, wet wipes, etc., and achieve zero open-air plastic waste in tourist attractions of grade A and above. Incorporate relevant requirements for plastic pollution control into the quality rating standard system for tourist attractions. (The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Water Resources, and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration are responsible for their respective duties)

10. Carry out in-depth cleaning and rectification of rural plastic waste. In conjunction with the improvement of rural living environment, include the cleaning of plastic waste in the work content of the village cleaning campaign, organize villagers to clean up the village environment, and clean up the open-air plastic waste scattered in front of and behind houses, rivers, ponds, ditches, fields, lanes and roads in the village, so as to promote the basic elimination of open-air plastic waste left over from the history of the village. Clarify the responsibilities of villagers through the "three guarantees in front of the door" and other systems. Where conditions permit, set up village cleaning days, cleaning commanders, village cleaners and other public welfare positions to promote the institutionalization, normalization and long-term effectiveness of the village cleaning campaign. (The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the National Rural Revitalization Bureau are responsible)

IV. Organization and Implementation

(I) Strengthen overall coordination and implement departmental responsibilities. The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will strengthen overall coordination, give full play to the role of the special working mechanism for plastic pollution control, clarify the division of responsibilities, formulate annual work points, supervise the implementation of work, and timely summarize and analyze the progress of work. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the National Development and Reform Commission will take the lead in organizing the annual joint special action for plastic pollution control, conduct research and guidance to promote the implementation of various tasks by local governments, and include the outstanding issues related to plastic pollution control found in the joint special action into the scope of the central ecological and environmental protection inspection. The relevant departments will implement various tasks in accordance with the division of responsibilities.

(ii) Strengthen local management and consolidate local responsibilities. Local people's governments at all levels shall implement local management responsibilities, take overall responsibility for plastic pollution control work in their administrative regions, strengthen organizational leadership, improve work mechanisms, clarify the division of responsibilities, and implement the organization in light of actual conditions to ensure the completion of the goals and tasks of plastic pollution control in their regions.

National Development and Reform Commission

Ministry of Ecology and Environment

September 8, 2021

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