How to effectively deal with the huge amount of express delivery waste?

Every year's "Double Eleven" is the peak period of online shopping. Recently, many people have received the goods they ordered, but along with them are piles of packaging boxes and plastic bags. How to effectively deal with the huge amount of express delivery waste? The reporter found that many people are not clear about how to sort the express delivery packaging.

During this year's "Double Eleven", Xiao Wu, who lives in Beijing, started the shopping mode again. After a period of consumption spree, his family accumulated dozens of express delivery packaging at once, and how to deal with these packaging made Xiao Wu feel troubled.

Beijing citizen Xiao Wu: In the past, I would just throw it into the trash can outside. Now it's garbage sorting. If I sort it myself, I only know that this paper box is recyclable, but I don't know how to sort these fillers, sponges, tapes, packaging bags...

There are many types of express delivery packaging. How should I deal with it? Which packaging can be recycled? The reporter randomly interviewed some citizens on the streets of Beijing and found that most people did not know much about this issue.

Reporter:How do you deal with your own express packaging?

Beijing citizen:Just throw it away. If there are garbage collectors in our community, we give it to those uncles.

Beijing citizen:For example, paper boxes are recyclable, but I am not sure whether other plastics and foams are recyclable. Generally speaking, they are thrown into other garbage.

Beijing citizen:Cardboard boxes are recyclable, and plastics should be other garbage.

It turns out that these packages are all recyclable

Which packaging materials are recyclable? Feng Yueyue, a girl born in the 1990s in Anhui who works in the recycling industry, specially recorded a video about express packaging, teaching everyone how to put the packaging in the right place.

Feng Yueyue, a garbage sorting volunteer in Lu'an City, Anhui Province:Today we will talk about which of these express packaging materials are recyclable. First of all, everyone knows that such cartons should be recyclable. Such foam plastics may be thrown everywhere in rural areas, but plastic foam can be recycled. The outer film is a high-pressure film of PE (polyethylene), which can also be recycled. The area of plastic film is relatively large, which can also be recycled. After "Double Eleven", if such waste is produced at home, we can put it in the recyclable trash can.

Wen Zongguo, professor of the School of Environment at Tsinghua University:When we classify and recycle packaging materials, we may often ignore the filler plastic foam and plastic packaging mentioned just now. In fact, they can still be recycled, or at least we must put them into the formal sanitation system to reduce damage to the environment.

In recent years, China's express delivery volume has grown rapidly. According to the monitoring data of the State Post Bureau, from November 1 to 11 this year alone, China Post and express delivery companies handled 3.965 billion express parcels, of which 675 million parcels were handled on the 11th, an increase of 26.16% year-on-year. At present, 80% of paper express packaging materials in China can be recycled, while 99% of plastic express packaging waste cannot be effectively utilized due to its low recycling value. In response to this problem, some cities are exploring ways to encourage enterprises to participate in the collection and treatment of low-value recyclables in the form of government procurement of services. At a Beijing environmental company, the reporter saw that the staff accepted all recyclables provided by residents, regardless of their value.

Xu Yuanhong, general manager of "Love Classification" Environmental Co., Ltd.:There are two lines. One is market behavior, such as waste recycling in the market. In this case, it may only pick high-value recyclables and not low-value ones. It is a kind of picky, and we are taking the government's garbage sorting subsidy. I eat fat and thin together. The goal is to reduce garbage and balance.

Express packaging should be reused

In fact, after many express packages are unpacked, the packaging cartons are still intact and directly enter the recyclable recycling system, which not only wastes resources but also may pollute the environment. They can be directly reused. Regarding the recycling of express packaging, relevant Chinese departments have long had regulations. The reporter's investigation found that although not many people know about this service, everyone generally welcomes this service.

Reporter: Have you ever tried to ask the express company to recycle the complete boxes or plastic bags?

Beijing resident: I didn't know there was such a service, and I didn't ask them to recycle it. I think it's quite environmentally friendly.

Beijing resident: I think it should be, because I don't know what they will do with many boxes after throwing them into the trash can.

The reporter's investigation found that as early as 2017, the "Guiding Opinions on Collaboratively Promoting Green Packaging in the Express Industry" jointly issued by the State Post Bureau and 10 other departments clearly stated that it is encouraged to promote recyclable packaging throughout the process of e-commerce products and express delivery. The "Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste" revised in 2020 also clearly stipulates that industries such as express delivery and takeout should give priority to reusable and recyclable packaging. The reporter contacted some major express delivery companies, and the customer service staff said that although the company has not yet carried out such business, if consumers have accumulated a certain amount of packaging materials, they can try to contact nearby express delivery outlets to collect them at home.

Experts said that many express delivery packaging materials are still intact after one use. If they are directly sent to the waste recycling system for recycling, it will not only consume a lot of resources, but also may cause environmental pollution. Direct reuse is the best way.

Currently, the reuse of paper packaging for express delivery in China is still in the spontaneous and initial stage, and the reuse rate is only about 5%. To promote this method, consumers should try not to violently dismantle express packaging and keep the packaging intact, and express delivery companies should also assume producer responsibility and study how to make recycling more convenient and reduce recycling costs.

Wen Zongguo, professor at the School of Environment, Tsinghua University:One is that recycling points should provide convenience for everyone, so that we have a place to invest, and we should cooperate with waste recycling companies. For example, if a recycling company recycles these packaging wastes for you, can you provide them with some mechanism incentives or create some conditions for them, such as whether they can help you build these recycling facilities to help you recycle.

In addition, experts also believe that government departments should formulate corresponding standards for the recycling of packaging materials by express delivery companies, so that the law can be truly implemented, promote companies to assume relevant responsibilities, and promote the formation of a full chain of recycling of express packaging materials.

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