Catalogue of Prohibited and Restricted Production, Sales and Use of Plastic Products (Draft for Comment)
Release time：2020-04-19
What do you think of these plastic products being banned in China?
-Get rid of the shackles-
In order to promote the implementation of the "New Plastic Restriction Order" "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollution" (Fagaihuan [2020] No. 80, hereinafter referred to as "Opinions"), according to the "Opinions", the direction and work objectives of the restrictions On April 10, the National Development and Reform Commission and relevant departments organized the drafting of the "Catalogue of Plastic Products Prohibited and Restricted for Production, Sales, and Use (Draft for Comment)" to openly solicit opinions from the public.
In this regard, we have the following suggestions, what do you think?
01 Prohibit the production and sale of oxygen-degradable plastic products
Relevant research shows that oxo-degradable plastic ① cannot be properly biodegraded, causing microplastic pollution in the environment; ② cannot be composted; ③ has a negative impact on the recycling of traditional plastics; ④ cannot prove to have environmental benefits.
Accordingly, it is recommended that oxygen-degradable plastic products be included in "plastic products prohibited to be produced and sold."
02Prohibit the production and sale of some PVC plastic products
Plastics that endanger human health should not be ignored. Among them, PVC materials have the highest environmental health risks. The "Opinions" require that plastic product manufacturing companies not illegally add chemical additives that are harmful to humans and the environment. PVC plastic products have many types of additives and high content, and are widely used in various types of daily necessities.
It is recommended that the catalogue follow the guidance of the "Opinions". First of all, some PVC plastic products that endanger the health of sensitive people (especially children, mothers and infants) are included in "prohibited production and sales of plastic products", such as baby bottles and pacifiers in mother and baby products. , Book covers, erasers, etc. in student supplies.
03 For plastic products that are easily lost to the environment, optimization of product design should be encouraged
The study found that some plastic products with large consumption and small volume are easily lost to the environment, such as bottle caps and drinking straws on beverage bottles, ranking among the top ten types of beach garbage in the world. The product design can be optimized to effectively improve its recovery rate, such as an integrated design that keeps the bottle cap always attached to the beverage bottle, to avoid the small volume of the plastic bottle cap from entering the environment. At present, beverage manufacturers have adopted this product design, such as EVIAN, AQUAFINA and so on.
It is recommended to gradually improve the catalog of plastic products that are not conducive to recycling in design, prohibit their production and sales, and force companies to switch to product design methods that are conducive to recycling.
04Prohibition of production and sales
Plastic products not marked as required
For some of the disposable plastic products that have a greater environmental impact and currently have no alternative solution, such as cigarette butts, sanitary napkins, sanitary napkins, wet wipes, etc., they must be obvious, clear and non-erasable on their packaging or the product itself Mark to inform consumers of the following information: ① The appropriate waste management plan of the product or the way of disposal of the waste that the product should avoid; ② The fact that there is plastic in the product, and the resulting littering or other inappropriate methods of waste disposal Negative impact on the environment. In order to guide the reduction of consumer behavior and avoid the wrong way of handling.
It is recommended to gradually improve the catalog of plastic products that need to be marked accordingly, and to prohibit the production and sale of plastic products that are not marked as required.
05The expression "prohibited, restricted use"
Amend to "prohibition of use"
In order to reflect the principle of gradually prohibiting the use of specific types of plastic products by region and time limit in the "Opinions", in order to release a clearer policy signal on the ban on plastics and waste reduction, it is recommended to express the expression "two, prohibiting and restricting the use of plastic products" Amend to "Second, gradually ban the use of plastic products."
06 Gradually banned the use of "one-time express plastic packaging"
The catalog prohibits the use of non-degradable plastic packaging bags, disposable plastic woven bags and plastic tapes. In addition, the current circular packaging promotion in the express delivery industry is not ideal. We are very worried that the replacement of these non-degradable express packaging will be the so-called biological Degradable plastic products. However, most of the biodegradable plastic products are disposable items, which are difficult to reuse. Whether the application in the express delivery industry has environmental, economic, and social benefits requires further consideration.
The "Opinions" propose that by the end of 2022, some postal and express delivery outlets in some provinces and cities will first prohibit the use of non-degradable plastic packaging bags, disposable plastic woven bags, etc. to reduce the use of non-degradable plastic tape. By the end of 2025, non-degradable plastic packaging bags, plastic tapes, disposable plastic woven bags, etc. are prohibited in postal express outlets nationwide. In these few years, it is still questionable whether China's waste classification management system can build an effective and proper ability to dispose of a large number of biodegradable alternatives. Similarly, prohibiting non-degradable plastic bags and tableware will also face such dilemmas and challenges.
In this context, it is recommended to modify "non-degradable plastic packaging bags" and "non-degradable disposable plastic woven bags" to "disposable plastic packaging bags" and "disposable plastic woven bags" respectively, and promote recycling methods, giving priority to development Reusable express packaging.
Finally, because the catalog does not mention what alternative solutions or products are after the use of non-degradable plastic products is banned, we solemnly recommend that the solution to reduce disposable plastics should be directed to a sustainable circular economy model, Alternatives should preferentially follow the principles of reusability and recyclability, rather than using another material, such as biodegradable materials, as a substitute, without changing its single-use nature. Not to mention that biodegradable materials will face various predictable challenges in practical application and disposal. The production and consumption patterns of disposable products are still encouraged, which must be an unsustainable linear economy.
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