white pollution

interpretation

environmental pollution caused by discarded plastic bags, plastic films and other packaging materials and products. This kind of waste is mostly white, so it is called.

Preface

The title "white pollution" is an image title for people to pollute the environment with refractory plastic waste. It refers to the phenomenon that all kinds of living plastic products made of polystyrene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride and other polymer compounds are discarded as solid waste after use, and it is difficult to degrade because they are littered at will, resulting in serious pollution of the urban environment. Therefore, it is now advocated not to use or use less biodegradable plastic packaging, and it is best to bring your own tools when buying things to reduce its use.

The present situation of "white pollution" and its harm

First, it occupies too much land. Garbage piled up in the suburbs of the city has occupied a lot of farmland. Garbage stays in nature for a long time: cigarette butts and wool fabrics are 1-5 years; Orange peel for 2 years; 81-111 years of cans; Plastics in 111-211 years; Glass for 1111 years.

second, pollute the air. Garbage is a complex mixture. In the process of transportation and open-air stacking, organic matter decomposes to produce stench, and releases a large number of pollutants such as ammonia and sulfide to the atmosphere, including more than 111 kinds of organic volatile gases, which contain many carcinogens and teratogens. Plastic film, paper scraps and dust fly with the wind to form "white pollution".

third, pollute the water. Harmful components in garbage are easily washed into the ground water body by rainwater, and a large number of acidic and alkaline organic pollutants will be generated during garbage stacking or pit filling, and heavy metals in garbage will be dissolved. If garbage is directly thrown into rivers, lakes or oceans, it will cause more serious pollution. You see: plastic bottles and lunch boxes floating on the surface of Qinhuai River, plastic bags and bread paper hanging from branches, etc., not only cause environmental pollution. And if animals eat white garbage by mistake, it will not only hurt their health, but even die.

fourth, fire hazards. Garbage contains a large number of combustible materials, which will produce methane and other combustible gases in the process of natural stacking. In case of open fire or spontaneous combustion, it is easy to cause fire and garbage explosion accidents, causing great losses.

fifth, the nest of pests. Garbage not only contains pathogenic microorganisms, but also provides food, shelter and breeding places for mice, birds and mosquitoes and flies, and is also the root of infectious diseases

As a new material, plastic products have the advantages of light weight, waterproof, durability, mature production technology and low cost, and are widely used all over the world, showing an increasing trend year by year. The growth rate of plastic packaging materials in the world market is higher than other packaging materials, and the average annual growth rate of plastic packaging materials from 1991 to 1995 is 8.9%.

China is one of the top ten countries producing and consuming plastic products in the world. In 1995, China's plastic output was 5.19 million tons, and nearly 6 million tons of plastics were imported into Japan. In that year, the total plastic consumption in China was about 11 million tons, including 2 million tons of packaging plastics. Most of the packaging plastics are discarded in the environment in the form of waste films, plastic bags and foamed plastic tableware. These waste plastic packages are scattered in urban areas, scenic tourist areas, water bodies and roads, which not only affect the landscape and cause "visual pollution", but also cause potential harm to the ecological environment because they are difficult to degrade.

According to the survey, 3% of Beijing's domestic garbage is waste plastic packaging, with an annual total of about 1.4 million tons; 7% of domestic waste in Shanghai is waste plastic packaging, with an annual total of about 1.9 million tons. In Tianjin, the annual waste plastic packaging also exceeds 1 million tons. Every year in Beijing, about 2.3 billion plastic bags, 221 million disposable plastic tableware and 6.75 million square meters of waste agricultural film are discarded in the environment. People jokingly call it "the suburbs are white."

Harm of White Pollution

With the acceleration of people's life rhythm, social life is developing towards convenience and sanitation. In order to meet this demand, disposable foamed plastic lunch boxes and plastic bags began to enter people's daily lives frequently. The appearance of these convenient and low-cost packaging materials has brought a lot of convenience to people's lives. On the other hand, these packaging materials are often discarded after use, resulting in "white pollution" and becoming a great environmental problem.

The so-called "white pollution" refers to the environmental pollution caused by the discarding of agricultural films, plastic films for packaging, plastic bags and disposable plastic tableware (hereinafter referred to as plastic packaging). Because most of the waste plastic packaging materials are white, it is called "white pollution". China is one of the top ten countries producing and consuming plastic products in the world. In 1995, the total consumption of plastics in China was about 11 million tons, of which 2 million tons were used for packaging. Most of the plastics used for packaging are discarded at will in the form of waste films, plastic bags and foamed plastic tableware. According to the survey, 3% of domestic waste in Beijing is waste plastic packaging, and the annual output is about 1.4 million tons. 7% of domestic waste in Shanghai is waste plastic packaging, and the annual output is about 1.9 million tons. Discarded waste packaging plastics in the environment not only affect the city appearance and natural landscape, resulting in "visual pollution", but also cause potential harm to the ecological environment because it is difficult to degrade, such as: mixing in the soil, affecting the absorption of nutrients and water by crops, leading to crop yield reduction; The seepage of plasticizers and additives will lead to groundwater pollution; Burning together with municipal waste will produce harmful gases, pollute the air and harm human health; Landfill treatment will occupy land for a long time, and so on.

major white pollution

the major hazards of "white pollution" are "visual pollution" and "potential hazards":

1, "visual pollution". Waste plastic packaging scattered in cities, tourist areas, water bodies and roads brings bad stimulation to people's vision, affects the overall aesthetic feeling of cities and scenic spots, and destroys the city appearance and landscape, thus causing "visual pollution".

2. "potential hazards". After the waste plastic packaging enters the environment, it is difficult to degrade, resulting in long-term and deep-seated ecological and environmental problems. First of all, the mixing of waste plastic packaging materials in soil will affect the absorption of nutrients and water by crops, which will lead to the reduction of crop production; Second, the discarded plastic packages on land or in water are swallowed by animals as food, which leads to the death of animals (such cases are common in zoos, pastoral areas and oceans); Thirdly, the waste plastic packaging mixed with domestic garbage is difficult to treat: landfill will occupy land for a long time, domestic garbage mixed with plastic is not suitable for composting, and the sorted waste plastic is also difficult to recycle because it cannot guarantee the quality.

At present, the main problem that people strongly reflect is "visual pollution", but most people still lack understanding of the long-term and deep-seated "potential harm" of waste plastic packaging.

General practices of preventing and controlling "white pollution" at home and abroad

Relevant information of preventing and controlling "white pollution" abroad

As early as 1985, the average consumption of plastic packaging in the United States reached 23.4 kg, that in Japan was 21.1 kg, and that in Europe was 15 kg. In the 1991s, the per capita consumption of plastic packaging materials in developed countries was more (China's per capita consumption of plastic packaging materials and other plastic products was 13.12kg in 1995). Judging from the consumption, it seems that the "white pollution" in developed countries should be very serious, but it is not. The reasons are as follows: First, developed countries have been strict in city appearance management for a long time, and few people throw waste plastic packaging materials around casually, thus basically eliminating "visual pollution". Second, the harmless disposal rate of domestic garbage in developed countries is high. Take the United States as an example. Before the 1981s, the main way to dispose of waste plastics was landfill. Later, it was found that plastics did not degrade for a long time. After the 1991s, they turned to recycling.

Now a strict sorting and recycling system has been established. Most of the waste plastic packaging materials are recycled, and a few of them are converted into energy or disposed harmlessly in other ways, which basically eliminates the potential hazards of waste plastic packaging materials.

The United States has enacted the Law on Resource Protection and Recovery, which clearly stipulates the technical research, system construction, operation and development planning of solid waste management, resource recovery and resource protection. California, Maine, new york and other 11 states have successively introduced the recycling deposit system for packaging supplies. Japan has made special provisions in the Law on Renewable Resources, the Law on Supporting Energy Conservation and Renewable Resources, and the Law on Recycling Packaging Containers, so as to promote manufacturers to simplify packaging and clarify the recycling obligations of manufacturers, sellers and consumers. Germany clearly stipulates in the Circular Economy Law that whoever manufactures, sells and consumes packaged goods has the obligation to avoid producing, recycling and disposing of waste. Germany's Packaging Regulations link the obligation of recycling, utilizing and disposing of waste packaging materials with the right to produce, sell and consume the goods, and decompose the obligation of recycling, utilizing and disposing into every subtle link of the whole life cycle of the goods and their packaging materials, so it has strong operability and effectiveness.

The methods of preventing and controlling "white pollution" in China and the analysis of its advantages and disadvantages

At present, China has begun to take administrative and technical measures to prevent and control "white pollution".

in administration, one is to strengthen management. For example, the problem of "white pollution" on both sides of the railway, which is concerned by the society, has been significantly improved by strengthening management. From the second half of 1994, the railway department began to divide the sections along the line. Some passenger trains use bagged garbage, and passengers are forbidden to throw waste out of the window. Unlike before, the flight attendants swept the garbage out of the window directly, but unloaded the garbage bags at the station for centralized treatment. At present, there are more and more trains using bagged garbage, and the phenomenon of throwing garbage outside the train at will is less and less. The "white pollution" has been basically eliminated on both sides of the 29,111-kilometer line. Practice has proved that strengthening management is an effective means to prevent and control "white pollution".

it is forbidden to use disposable plastic packaging materials that are difficult to degrade. Hangzhou is the first city in China to ban the use of disposable foam tableware. On September 5, 1995, Hangzhou City jointly issued the Notice on Prohibiting the Use of Foam Plastic Fast Food Boxes by the City Appearance and Environmental Sanitation Bureau, the Industry and Commerce Bureau and the Health Bureau, which was published in Hangzhou Daily for three consecutive days. During the implementation, the management department found that some individual mobile vendors were still selling foamed plastic tableware. Recently, the Standing Committee of Hangzhou Municipal People's Congress passed the Regulations of Hangzhou Municipality on the Administration of City Appearance and Environmental Sanitation. Article 35 of the Regulations stipulates that the sale and use of non-degradable disposable tableware made of foamed plastics are prohibited. Offenders can be fined 511 ~ 5111 yuan. The Regulations will come into effect on September 5, 1997. Wuhan, Harbin, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo, Shantou and other cities have also promulgated relevant policies and regulations to prohibit the local use of disposable foam plastic tableware. By taking the above measures, the harm of "white pollution" has been alleviated to a certain extent. However, judging from the results of practice, it is difficult to completely solve the problem of "white pollution" by simply banning. All the cities that have issued the ban require paper products or degradable plastic products to replace the original refractory foam plastic products. However, substitutes cannot compete with ordinary plastic products in price and quality. Therefore, under the condition of market economy, it is very difficult to operate only by administrative orders without considering the adjustment of economic leverage.

mandatory recycling. Clean waste plastic packaging can be reused, or reused for granulation, oil refining, paint making, building materials, etc. Recycling conforms to the general principle of "reduction, recycling and harmlessness" in solid waste treatment. Recycling can not only avoid "visual pollution", but also solve "potential harm", relieve the pressure on resources, reduce the load of municipal solid waste disposal, save land and achieve certain economic benefits. This is a good way to treat both the symptoms and the root causes. But recycling should be before the waste plastic packaging enters the garbage. It is not only time-consuming and laborious to re-sort the waste plastic packaging from the garbage dump, but also the utilization value of waste plastic is very low. Because the sorted waste plastic products are too dirty, it is difficult to classify by material, and the quality cannot be guaranteed. On the basis of investigation and study, Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau has determined the technical route of "recycling as the main, substitution as the auxiliary, differential treatment and comprehensive prevention". On June 1, 1997, the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau and the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce jointly issued the Notice on the Necessity of Recycling Disposable Plastic Dining Boxes, requiring units or individuals that produce and distribute disposable plastic tableware (including trays, bowls, cups, etc.) in Beijing to be responsible for recycling discarded tableware or entrust other units to recycle it. The Circular also stipulates that the recovery rate must reach 31% in 1998, 51% in 1999 and 61% in 2111. After the publication of the Notice, the production and distribution units and individuals immediately went to the local environmental protection department to apply for registration and put forward their own recycling plans and specific guarantee measures. This is a breakthrough for Beijing to solve "white pollution". After achieving practical results, we will gradually increase the types and proportion of waste plastic products that are forcibly recycled, and finally eliminate "white pollution". Tianjin Environmental Protection Bureau completed the Feasibility Investigation Report of Tianjin's Prevention and Control of "White Pollution" Project, and put forward a set of prevention and control schemes, and determined to achieve the purpose of saving resources and eliminating pollution through recycling. At present, the recycling plan, the operation chart of the pilot work and the progress outline of the pilot work are being formulated, and the Tianjin White Pollution Prevention Industry Association is being prepared.

in terms of technology, one is to use paper instead of plastic. The main component of paper is natural plant cellulose, which can be easily decomposed by microorganisms in the soil after being discarded, so it can solve the "potential harm" mentioned above, but it will also bring new environmental problems: firstly, papermaking needs a lot of wood, and China's forest resources are not rich; Secondly, the paper-making process will bring water pollution. In addition, paper products can't compete with plastic products in terms of performance and cost. At present, China also has the practice of producing disposable tableware with sugarcane stalks and straw as raw materials, but it is still in the experimental stage.

the second is to use degradable plastics. A certain amount of additives (such as starch, modified starch or other cellulose, photosensitizer, biodegradable agent, etc.) are added in the production process of plastic packaging products, so that the stability of plastic packaging products decreases and it is easier to degrade in the natural environment. At present, there are 19 units that develop or produce degradable plastics in Beijing. The test shows that most degradable plastics begin to thin, lose weight, decrease strength and gradually break into pieces after being exposed to the general environment for 3 months. If these fragments are buried in garbage or soil, the degradation effect is not obvious. There are four shortcomings in using degradable plastics: first, it consumes more food; Second, the use of degradable plastic products still cannot completely eliminate "visual pollution"; Third, due to technical reasons, the use of degradable plastic products can not completely solve the "potential harm" to the environment; Fourth, degradable plastics are difficult to recycle because they contain special additives.

Problems in the control of "white pollution" in China

The main problems in the control of "white pollution" in China are as follows:

1. There is no national special regulation

The control of "white pollution" cannot rely solely on the consciousness of enterprises or individuals, and compulsory measures should be taken to restrain the behavior of citizens and workers in catering and transportation industries. For example, enterprises or individuals are required to recycle waste plastic packaging materials generated in their own production, operation and consumption activities; To abandon and pile up waste plastic packaging at will.