The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the Opinions on Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollution, which made it clear that by the end of 2121, the use of non-degradable plastic bags will be prohibited in shopping malls, supermarkets, pharmacies, bookstores and other places in the urban built-up areas of municipalities directly under the central government, provincial capitals and cities with separate plans, as well as catering packaging and take-away services and various exhibition activities. The ban is just around the corner, and the reporter found in many places that only a few people have replaced it with degradable plastic bags, and most businesses are waiting for the final ban period.

Data

Before the plastic restrictions were issued, China used 1 billion plastic bags and more than 2 billion other plastic bags every day. Seven years after the implementation of the plastic restriction, the use of plastic shopping bags in supermarkets and shopping malls has generally decreased by more than 2/3, with a cumulative reduction of about 1.4 million tons. However, several major take-away platforms consume at least 7 billion plastic packaging bags a year.

Investigation

A few began to replace most of them.

In a large supermarket around Dadonghai Plaza in Sanya, the reporter saw that the original non-degradable plastic bags had been removed from the shelves. "Shangchao, fresh packaging materials, rolling bags and shopping bags in the market will all be replaced before the end of the month." According to an operation manager, some degradable plastic bags have been put on the supermarket shelves.

In several shopping malls in Hefei, the reporter noticed that Starbucks, KFC, McDonald's and other chain catering enterprises have partially or completely replaced the packaging bags with paper bags.

However, due to the year-end deadline of plastic ban and plastic restriction, and the obvious increase in use cost, this substitution is not universal.

In the Liming Store of Yonghui Supermarket in Fuzhou, the shopping bags provided here are mainly non-degradable traditional plastic bags, and degradable plastic bags are only used to pack some ready-to-eat foods. Because the plastic limit order does not require the continuous roll bags used for sub-packaging in supermarkets, and supermarkets provide them free of charge, many customers use this small plastic bag to package goods in large quantities, which consumes a lot.

In terms of catering packaging and take-away service, it is found that all platforms have the option of "no tableware", some shops have lunch boxes to choose from, and environmental protection lunch boxes need to be charged extra, but there is no provision for outer packaging bags at present. The reporter's investigation found that some shops began to use non-woven bags and paper bags as outer packaging, but most shops still use traditional plastic bags.

"Isn't it the end of the year?" "There are still a lot of traditional plastic products in stock, so we have to use them up before changing them." "When the deadline comes, we will stop using non-degradable shopping bags." ..... Many merchants hold a wait-and-see attitude towards plastic ban and plastic restriction.

It is difficult to promote degradable plastic bags, and the high price is the main factor

Price is the most important factor that affects the promotion of degradable plastic bags.

The traditional plastic bags used in supermarkets are generally medium size for each 1.2 yuan, large size for each 1.3 yuan, and degradable plastic bags for each 1 yuan. Lin Qiu, logistics category coach of Yonghui Supermarket Fuzhou Gulou District, said, "The price of degradable plastic bags is about three times higher than that of traditional plastic bags. If plastic bags are replaced by degradable ones, only one bag is rolled, and each store will spend 211,111 yuan more every month."

The high price of degradable plastic products is mainly due to the shortage of raw materials. According to the research data of Weng Yunxuan, secretary general of the professional committee of degradable plastics of China Plastics Association, it will take a little time to realize large-scale substitution from the current production capacity of degradable plastic raw materials. The output of plastic products in China has reached 81.84 million tons, while the global production capacity of PLA is only about 281,111 tons, including about 51,111 tons in China.

Cai Liankai, head of Hainan Chuangjiada Biotechnology Co., Ltd., said that the raw material of traditional plastic products is about 7,111 yuan per ton, while the raw material of biodegradable plastic products is more than 31,111 yuan per ton.

in addition, plastic products are convenient and cheap to use, and the experience of substitute products can't be compared with them.

It is suggested that

the government should implement price subsidies to strengthen market supervision

Anhui Fengyuan Group's project with an annual output of 51,111 tons of polylactic acid is put into production, and the project with an annual output of 311,111 tons of polylactic acid is currently under construction. In order to strive for a stable supply of raw materials, more than a dozen enterprises, such as Shandong Zhengkai New Materials, Henan Zhongsu New Materials and Jiangsu yueda Home Textiles, have planned to build factories near the PLA production base, which shows the tight degree.

"The bio-based degradable material industry represented by polylactic acid is a strategic emerging industry encouraged by the state. Where conditions permit, relevant enterprises can be encouraged to expand production capacity, solve the shortage of degradable plastic raw materials and reduce the cost of degradable plastic products." Yao Risheng, a professor at the School of Food and Bioengineering, Hefei University of Technology, said.

Some enterprises are also worried about the fake and inferior degradable plastic products. Hu Zhigong, general manager of Hainan Tianren Degradable Plastics Co., Ltd. believes that if the supervision fails to control fake and shoddy degradable plastic products, or non-degradable plastic products continue to be widely used, it will be difficult for degradable plastic products enterprises to survive.

"We can manage regular factories, but we can't manage small workshops; Can manage the big supermarket, but can't manage the canteen. " All along, small workshops, vegetable markets, small shops, etc. are the difficulties in implementing the plastic limit order.

Xu Hua, director-general of Haikou Ailan Environmental Protection Service Center, and others suggested that in the case that it is difficult to reduce the price of degradable plastic products in a short period of time, government departments can use price subsidies and other means to appropriately reduce the pressure on merchants and consumers. At the same time, strengthen market supervision, investigate and deal with illegal production, sale and use of non-degradable plastic products, so as to ensure the implementation of relevant policies on plastic ban and plastic restriction.