The revision of the Beijing Municipal Ordinance on the Management of Household Waste, the first local law regulating garbage disposal in the country, has attracted a lot of attention. We note that the first paragraph of Article 26 of the Regulations has been amended to read: "Catering units and catering service providers shall not voluntarily provide consumers with disposable tableware, and shall set up obvious signs." This also means that once the Regulations are passed, businesses have the responsibility and obligation to actively reduce the use of disposables.

However, the scale of use of disposable tableware and disposable paper cups remains large in our daily lives with the rise of takeout and delivery methods. So, are caterers ready for possible new regulations? A CCTV financial reporter investigated.

The reporter went to a chain restaurant and ordered a beef and rice set meal, including a drink. When the reporter asked if he could use his cup, he was refused. Later, the reporter went to another fast-food restaurant in Beijing and ordered a glass of orange juice to take away. When the reporter offered to pour it directly into the cup he brought, the clerk refused the reporter's request and said he could only pack it in a disposable cup and then put it into his own cup.

Paper cups give us the impression that paper is made of paper and should be recyclable, but the people who recycle paper don't want to take it. Why? Professor Liu Jianguo of the Institute of Environmental Studies at Tsinghua University:In order to improve its impermeability, including strength, we also put a layer of plastic film on it. In this case, it is actually a composite paper product. If you recycle it as paper, the plastic inside will seriously interfere with the recycling of the paper.

Turns out the paper cups have a film in them, which is a polymer called polyethylene, which is also a plastic. It prevents leaks. However, sorting and storing paper cups and separating the paper from the plastic is very expensive. For waste recyclers, the cost of recycling disposable paper cups is labor intensive and not profitable. As a result, there is little incentive to recycle.

Experts say that because paper cups contain plastic, burning plastic produces dioxins, so burning waste should minimize the burning of hazardous substances.

Under the past economic development model, China has been characterized by mass production, mass consumption and mass disposal of disposable products. Experts suggest consumers should also change their minds and reduce the use of disposable products. Prof. Liu Jianguo of Tsinghua University's Institute of Environmental Studies:One strategy that should be adopted for disposable paper cups is to avoid using them at the source without reducing their use. If you use them at home, you can use them several times to extend their service life. In the future, we will shift towards source reduction and recycling.