Some people emphasize that the recycling management should be strengthened, but did not give sufficient consideration to how to recover these large volume, small proportion, and especially stolen waste tableware, and how to make rational use of it and other issues;
Some people suggest that the use of these difficult to environmentally absorb plastic tableware, replaced by easy to degrade paper tableware, but did not give sufficient consideration to China's dietary structure, living standards and the environmental impact of the paper-making process.
Some people think that the current large number of foamed fast food tableware has the advantages of high quality and low price, the only drawback is that it is difficult to environmental degradation, if it can be developed into a degradable plastic environmental degradation is not a solution to the problem, but did not take into account the degradation of the resources of the one-time consumption, the overall effectiveness of the environment, as well as the difficulty of the technology, etc.
Some people suggest that we should ban the use of these plastic tableware which is difficult to environmental degradation.
So, disposable tableware pollution in the end how to manage? New environmentally friendly lunch boxes and who to take just? Alternative work and how to carry out? According to my experience over the years of tableware pollution control put forward the following views for the reference of the relevant departments.
I. Plastic tableware pollution and its history of governance
With China's people's living standards continue to improve and speed up the pace of life, consuming fast food more and more people, and thus fast food tableware such as disposable plastic lunch boxes, bowls, trays, etc., the use of more and more, the annual use of up to more than 10 billion. The main raw material for these tableware is polystyrene (PS) resin, these polymer materials with the development of the plastics industry and anti-aging technology continues to improve, its strength is getting bigger and bigger, which brings great benefits to the production and application. However, these one-time use of tableware can no longer be used as tableware, and there are many difficulties in recycling, such as the economic benefits of recycling, recycling technology, and so on, and thus the recycling rate is very low, especially foamed polystyrene tableware. This results in a large number of plastic tableware floating in all corners, especially along railroads, tourist attractions and garbage dumps. And these polymers due to light, heat and natural forces are not sensitive to it, at the same time, there is no microorganisms or enzymes can be directly decomposed, therefore, the decomposition of the natural world disappeared quite difficult, so that the environment will be discarded plastic tableware will be increasing day by day, to the survival of mankind's environment, especially for plants and animals, soil and water and natural landscape caused by certain impact. Some developed countries and regions have legislated or formulated policies to prohibit or restrict the use of non-degradable and hard-to-recycle disposable plastic products. China's government as early as in the "Eighth Five-Year Plan" key scientific and technological research planning in the light - biological biodegradable plastic mulch included in the thematic research, and the Ministry of Railways in 1991, the "passenger trains, the feasibility of new fast-food lunch boxes," the project was included in the Ministry of Railways Science and Technology Development Program (contract No. 91-). Y10 <F>), by the Ministry of Railways Labor and Health is responsible for research.
In recent years, especially since October 13-15, 1994, the Ministry of Railways held in Yinchuan, "white pollution along the railroad line countermeasures seminar" since the plastic lunch boxes of environmental pollution and governance issues have become a hot topic in the news media, the lunch box war opened the prelude to a large number of newspaper reports. At the same time, the CCTV, Beijing TV, Shanghai TV and Hangzhou, Shenzhen and other places in the TV station on the pollution of plastic lunch boxes and the prevention and control of a large number of reports, aroused a strong reaction from the whole society.
How to control the pollution of plastic lunch boxes? What is the direction of China's fast food containers? How to develop new and old fast food box enterprises? The problems have become the hot topics and research focuses of the press, academics and governmental departments, and various meetings have been held one after another.
April 7-8, 1995, under the auspices of the Chinese Society of Engineering Plastics Degradable Plastics Research Association, held in Beijing, "degradable plastic tableware application seminar report", the National People's Congress, the State Environmental Protection Administration, the Light Industry Association, and the Ministry of Railways and other departments of the leadership and experts and lunch box manufacturers to participate in the meeting, and set up in the Chinese fast-food box companies how to develop?
The "white trash" and the development of fast food containers have played a correct role in guiding the management of the "white trash" and the development of fast food containers, and the establishment of the degradation of plastic in the Engineering Plastics Society degradation of plastics under the leadership of the Technical Collaborative Group of tableware.
April 18, 1995, under the auspices of the Ministry of Railways, held in Beijing, "Railway Fast Food Box Update Conference", the old and new lunch box research and production factories and the relevant railroad authorities, more than 140 people attended the meeting, for the first time, the requirements and plans for the update of the railroad lunch box announced to the public, and proposed from June 5, 95 (World Environment Day) to meet the relevant requirements of the railroad fast food boxes for trial, and according to the trial situation to choose a new type of biodegradable fast food boxes suitable for use in the railroad as a replacement for non-degradable plastic lunch boxes.
In the Ministry of Railways leaders put forward " paper instead of plastic " slogan under the influence of many enterprises aiming at the paper lunch box this market, especially the railroads this big market, have invested in the horse.
August 1, 1995 ~ 4, by the China Packaging News initiated and hosted the " paper cups, paper plates, paperboard and pulp molding technology show and seminar ", more than 180 from home and abroad and paper tableware related enterprises to participate in this meeting, the development of paper tableware to a climax.
At one time, the paper-plastic fight fainted many people's minds, paper lunch box production lines such as spring, foam lunch box production plants deserted, degradation of plastic lunch box research units and production plants in the struggle to fight, and paper lunch boxes to compete for the future market.
September 19, 1995, the Light Industry Federation of the plastics industry in charge of the timely convening of the "Styrofoam tableware and environmental protection" as the theme of the symposium, recruiting relevant experts *** with the discussion of how to combat "white pollution". Participants believe that the "white pollution" is not the culprit of the lunch box itself, but failed to manage it well.
In the newspaper, television and various meetings to warmly study and discuss "white pollution", especially plastic fast-food containers how to manage at the same time, in the Engineering Plastics Society of Degradable Plastics Research Society sponsored by the "degradable plastics newsletter" from the scientific point of view of a calm analysis, the correct guidance. The advantages and disadvantages of paper and plastic from the resources, raw materials and products in the production process of various pollution, processing technology, production capacity, product performance and product prices and other aspects of a comprehensive analysis and evaluation. Paper and plastic will be long-term **** exist, each have their own; paper lunch boxes are not suitable for China's national conditions, is not appropriate to vigorously develop; degradation of plastic lunch boxes is one of the effective ways to manage the current " white pollution " ......
Argument can never end, the debate can continue to carry on, the research will continue to deepen, but the enterprise how to go? Where does it go from here?
October 30, 1995, the eighth session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the sixteenth meeting of the adoption of the "Chinese People's Republic of China *** and the State Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes", for the first time in the form of a national law stipulates that the "product should be easy to use easy to recycle, easy to dispose of, or easy to consume the packaging in the environment. "On December 11, 1995, the State Environmental Protection Bureau issued a document (Environmental Science and Technology Standard [1995] No. 069) "on the issuance of environmental labeling products technical requirements for the development of the project plan notice", will be degradable plastic packaging materials and biodegradable fast-food containers
After that, many cities have banned the sale and use of disposable styrofoam tableware and replaced it with cardboard, paper pulp or degradable plastic tableware, but due to the lack of strict policies, insufficient law enforcement, or too many problems with the new products, most of them are banned or resurfaced. According to this phenomenon, the environmental protection departments of Beijing and Tianjin, after much investigation and argumentation, believe that in the case of the new product is not yet mature to take the recycling method of governance is the best choice to solve the environmental pollution of foamed tableware. Therefore, from September 97 began a foamed tableware recycling pilot.
The pilot proved that the pollution of foamed tableware is not unmanageable, but too difficult to manage. In order to control white pollution, the relevant state departments have taken a lot of methods, such as the State Environmental Protection Administration [1997] 527 document "on the issuance of 'white pollution' of the status quo and management countermeasures study" has been clearly put forward to control the white pollution method should be Take "education and publicity as the guide, strengthen management as the core, recycling as a means, product substitution as a complementary measure" principle of prevention and control, and the State Environmental Protection Administration [1997] No. 590 document also agreed to Beijing and Tianjin as a pilot city for the treatment of white pollution, and asked in June 5, 1998 before the acceptance. To this end, Beijing and Tianjin initiated the recycling work funded by manufacturers of foamed lunch boxes, the recycling rate of about 50%, the scattered lunch boxes greatly reduced, it should be said that the spread of white pollution has played a role in curbing.
However, due to the large volume of foamed tableware (about 100,000 tons nationwide, with a volume of about 2 million cubic meters), its own pollution is serious, which makes it very difficult to deal with. Because of the waste lunch boxes with oil refining technology is not yet mature, thus resulting in a large number of recycled tableware accumulation, coupled with the regeneration of granulation in the presence of serious water pollution and many other problems can not be effectively resolved in a timely manner, so that the relevant leaders and departments of the foaming tableware management has lost confidence.
The country currently has more than 130 foaming tableware production lines, foaming tableware in the amount of more than 10 billion (Beijing alone is as high as 700 million or so), and so much stuff in the country in addition to Beijing and Tianjin from the beginning of the 97 years of recycling, the rest of the world are not very good recycling governance, the national recycling rate of only 3% -5%, resulting in extremely serious pollution of the landscape and environmental pollution, coupled with the recent 10 years of accumulation, has reached the degree of non-treatable. To this end, the State Council resolved in 2000 before the end of a comprehensive ban on the production, sale and use of foamed tableware, and serious pollution of major cities, transportation systems and tourist areas should be advanced and accelerate the pace, and actively choose suitable alternatives and product quality and production as soon as possible to meet market demand.
Two. Foamed tableware was eliminated, what products to replace?
Disposable polystyrene foam tableware is difficult to degrade, comprehensive recycling is still difficult. To this end, the State Economic and Trade Commission Order No. 6 has been clearly stipulated by the end of 2000 a comprehensive ban on disposable foaming tableware, and put forward the basic requirements of the replacement product, that is, easy to recycle and easy to degrade, the new national standards for degradable tableware has been stepping up the development of the year is expected to be introduced. So what is the right replacement product?
In order to answer this question, we must have a full understanding of the following issues before reaching a scientific conclusion.
(A) raw materials
Fast food tableware is a one-time consumer goods, short life cycle, large amount of use, so the source of raw materials should be based on domestic, minimize imports of raw materials to avoid dependence on foreign exchange and changes in the international market is not controllable. Like cardboard tableware, because of its raw materials to wood pulp-based, and China's serious lack of wood resources, so a large number of cardboard tableware production is not quite in line with China's national conditions. In addition, the composition of some raw materials is complex, the quality of the product is difficult to ensure that supervision and management should also be strengthened.
(B) the production of the current situation
In recent years, China's fast-food industry develops faster, the national fast food tableware consumption has exceeded 10 billion, with an annual rate of 6% or more of the rate of increase. From the current market situation, foaming PS tableware in the near future is still the mainstream of fast food tableware, the existing pulling machine more than 130 units, the annual PS raw material consumption of about 100,000 tons, the output capacity of more than 12 billion. Polypropylene (PP) type of tableware production is not large, only in the railroad system part of the use of light / biodegradable PP lunch boxes, the use of about 300 million, but because of the use of railroads in a better effect, there are many enterprises in the new on the type of products. Cardboard tableware and pulp molded tableware has more than 30, but because of these tableware from the price or performance is not as good as the PS tableware, so most manufacturers are in a state of shutdown, and its production capacity is estimated at about 3 billion. Other types of tableware such as grass fiber type, full starch type although there is a small amount of production capacity, but has not formally entered the market, in the perfect stage, the estimated production capacity of about 500 million. Therefore, from the current production capacity has been greatly excessive, such as the current investment in the plant must consider the direction of the development of fast cutlery and market competition, otherwise it will certainly cause huge losses to the enterprise.
(C) production process
To make fast food packaging products to occupy the market, tableware manufacturers must consider the following production process.
1Continuous automated production
Fast food tableware usage, it is necessary to make the production capacity of the equipment to increase, so the equipment must have a continuous automated production function in order to occupy a larger market, but also to make it possible to reduce costs.
2 utilization of trimmings
Fast food tableware production process will have waste or trimmings, if not recycling of these materials, will have a significant impact on production and cost. The higher the cost of recycling, the higher the cost of the product, the weaker the market competitiveness. Like degradable plastic and paper tableware at present these problems have not been well solved.
(D) product storage and transportation
Fast food tableware in large quantities, circulation fast, so the storage and transportation requirements are relatively high. General requirements in the transportation of light loading and unloading, to avoid severe vibration, extrusion and wind and rain; storage period should be placed in the 5 ~ 40 ℃, relative humidity of less than 80%, well-ventilated and rodent-proof and moisture-proof conditions of the warehouse, and should be away from the ground more than 15CM, unsealed batch of products, the shelf life of its storage should not be less than one year. Therefore, the degradation of plastic tableware, pulp molded tableware and other completely biodegradable tableware must take into full account the above factors, so as not to cause the product to become waste.
(E) product quality
Any product has its own quality standards, fast cutlery is no exception, to understand the product quality requirements for the research and development of new products is particularly important for enterprises. The following four aspects are discussed.
1 safety issues
Food packaging and human health are closely related, therefore, a new product in the use of a new product should be rigorous evaluation of the test, for polymer food packaging materials and utensils containers, should be individual components (monomer) and finished products (polymers) were evaluated. For the finished product, the amount of residue obtained in the 4% acetic acid dissolution test of the molded product is used to determine the tests that need to be conducted (regardless of whether the raw material is natural or synthetic). Specific provisions are as follows:
A. If the product is newly developed in China, the amount of evaporation residue ≥ 30PPM, failed, do not carry out toxicological tests;
B. 20PPM ~ & lt; 30PPM, acute toxicity, accumulation of toxicity and mutagenicity, sub-chronic and metabolism, as well as chronic (including carcinogenicity) four-stage test;
C. 10PPM ~ & lt; 30PPM, acute toxicity and toxicity and mutagenicity, sub-chronic and metabolic and chronic (including carcinogenicity) four-stage test;
C. 10PPM to <20PPM, the first three stages of B;
D. 5PPM to <10PPM, the first two stages of C;
E. <5PPM, acute toxicity test and a mutagenicity test.
If the product has been allowed to be used in two or more economically developed countries, the evaporation residue is:
≥30PPM, fail, no toxicology test;
10PPM-30PPM, the first two stages of the test in item B;
<10PPM, acute toxicity test and a mutagenicity test. test.
By the above requirements can be seen, the safety requirements for food containers is very strict. However, the current testing of new tableware are not implemented according to the above requirements, especially some industry standards themselves are problematic. For example, the Ministry of Railways industry standard TB / T2611 - 94 "railroad fast food lunch box supply general technical conditions," the provisions of the evaporation residue ≤ 30PPM when only acute toxicity test and mutagenicity test, other experiments do not do, so that its safety is difficult to ensure that it is recommended that the new tableware safety inspection is strictly in accordance with the relevant requirements of the State to ensure the safety of the human body.
2 health issues
Fast food tableware to meet the health requirements, and consumer health is closely related to the general requirements of the fermentation method (a/100cm 2) coliform < 3, paper method (per 50cm 2) coliforms shall not be detected, in order to eliminate the spread of conventional infectious agents.
3 physical and chemical indicators
Fast food tableware should be based on the material of different physical and chemical indicators of the test, the general requirements are as follows:
Evaporation residue (mg / l): 4% acetic acid, 60 ℃, 2h, ≤ 30
65% ethanol, 20 ℃, 2h, ≤ 30
Hexane: 20 ℃, 2h, ≤ 30ppm<
Potassium permanganate consumption: distilled water, 60℃, 2h, ≤10ppm
Heavy metals (in ph) (mg/l): 4% acetic acid, 60℃, 2h, ≤1
Decolorization: Cold cooking oil or colorless grease, negative; ethanol, negative; soaking liquid, negative
Flavoxanthin is also required on cardboard, pulp, and grass fiber tableware, Pesticide residues and fluorescent substances to ensure the safety of human beings.
4 performance
A period of time, the development of a new type of tableware enterprises more and more, but many units do not understand the special requirements for the use of disposable tableware, so it is difficult to enter the market. Disposable tableware is generally required to meet the following basic conditions:
A. normal color, no odor, surface smooth and clean, uniform texture, no streaks, scratches, no wrinkles, peeling, no rupture and perforation;
B. clean, no grease, no dust and other foreign matter;
C. close the lid, easy to fasten the lid, neat and no deviation;
D. Thermal insulation properties Good insulation performance, 60 ℃ above 30 minutes without deformation, leakage;
E. Load 3KG, height change ≤ 5%;
F. Lid folded more than 20 times without breakage;
G. Beautiful shape, easy to take, put, and there are varieties to adapt to the different needs of the
(F) environmental issues
In recent years the plastic packaging - especially the foamed PS tableware to the environment. Foaming PS tableware pollution of the environment is becoming increasingly serious. At present, China's total annual production of plastic packaging waste in the living garbage has exceeded 2 million tons, nearly 1/3 of the volume of the war garbage. due to the enhancement of people's awareness of the environment and the rational use of resources to improve the requirements, the production of one-time use of commodities will have to consider the problem of environmental pollution and waste of resources. In this regard, new environmentally friendly products continue to emerge, especially fast food tableware.
To this end, the State Economic and Trade Commission Order No. 6 required by the end of 2000 to completely ban the production, sale and use of foamed tableware, and serious pollution of major cities, transportation systems and tourist areas should be in advance and accelerate the pace of active selection of suitable alternatives and product quality and output as soon as possible to meet market demand. According to the provisions of the foaming tableware production lines are not allowed to new and transfer of foreign-invested enterprises will be dealt with by the State Economic and Trade Commission in conjunction with the relevant departments of the State Council and the local people's government. Refusal to implement the enterprise will be revoked by the business administration department of the business license, the departments concerned to cancel the production license, the commercial banks to stop lending, the seriousness of the situation should be investigated according to the law and the legal responsibility of the person in charge of the person in charge.
The State Environmental Protection Administration will be "white pollution" control as a key task to grasp, plans to control the main traffic arteries and major cities by 2000, "white pollution" growth momentum, a comprehensive ban on the production, sale and use of foamed tableware In addition, the production and use of ultra-thin plastic bags will be banned, and a mandatory recycling system for packaging will be set up under the responsibility of manufacturers, so that "white pollution" will be basically eliminated by 2005.
(VII) Development Direction
In 1987, the World Commission For Environment And Development (World Commission For Environment And Development) formally put forward a proposal: the way of life of human beings and the way of production should be adjusted to be more friendly and harmless to the environment. In other words, measures to control environmental pollution should be focused on adjusting lifestyles and production processes rather than only after pollutants have been generated. According to this principle, in the late 1980s, human society began to pay attention to the environmental impacts of the whole process of production, use, recycling and disposal of products, i.e., to analyze the environmental impacts of each link of the whole life process of a product from the cradle to the grave in a comprehensive manner. A new product to obtain a long market share, in addition to the product production process itself on the environment, but also on the source of raw materials and products to the environment to analyze and assess the impact of a variety of quantitative analysis, in order to arrive at the correct conclusion of which product is more vitality.
If the environmental impact of waste plastics, the current state of the art and economic benefits of a comprehensive analysis of the three aspects, can be concluded that: first of all, should be selected for recycling; in the case of recycling value is too low, you can choose to incinerate; and finally choose to landfill treatment. For those who are difficult to reach the recycling system, recycling is too difficult or economically uneconomical to promote the use of products that are easy to be environmentally friendly, such as foaming tableware with degradable plastic or paper tableware will become an inevitable trend.
With the improvement of people's living standards, the development of fast food industry and people's environmental awareness, the emergence of new tableware will be unstoppable, the types of fast food tableware and the use of fast food will continue to increase, domestic and foreign fast food containers and fast food industry competition will be more intense, the direction of development will be towards the direction of more easy to recycle or easier to be environmentally friendly development.
As a new type of tableware research and development of production units should be under the banner of environmental protection to fully consider the source of raw materials for a new product, the production process and scale, product quality (safety, hygiene, physical and chemical indicators, performance), price and how to deal with a number of factors such as the use of tableware to the weight and volume of the tableware as small as possible, as little as possible, toxic and hazardous substances, the value of recycling and recycling As much as possible, the degradation rate can be controlled, to take the road of resource conservation, environmental protection and sustainable development.
(H) the current ideal alternatives to choose what good
According to the above requirements and the Ministry of Railways in recent years on the new lunch box a large number of tests and the use of proof of the production process and safety, health and environmental protection performance of the most stable, the price is also more dominant light/biodegradable polypropylene products, followed by cardboard coated with film, the cost of which can be used to print the advertisements on the lunch box to drop down the pulp molding type. Due to the current production process caused by the heavy environmental pollution in the early stage, food hygiene to meet the high cost of qualified products is difficult to reduce the cost, coupled with its recycling and degradation speed are not advantageous, should not be used as the main type of products to promote the application of a large area. Rice husk sizing molding type, with the health and environmental indicators of performance standards, the process is becoming more stable, coupled with the low price of raw materials, the production of pre-production does not cause significant pollution of the external environment, biodegradation performance is also good, and its prospects or can be (but the need to pesticides, aflatoxin residues to strengthen the supervision and inspection, fully meet the standards is very difficult). Composite starch molding film type, currently in a small number of trial on board the railroad, has not yet formed a mass production, performance needs to be further verified. There are also a number of photodegradable or biodegradable performance of foamed plastic products, such as "light / biodegradable polystyrene foam lunch boxes", "biodegradable compound starch-added polystyrene foam lunch boxes", due to the slow degradation of the delamination, biodegradation mechanisms are not Due to the slow degradation of delamination, the mechanism of biodegradation is not certain, there are many natural disturbing factors, and the existence of phenylethylene oligomer, so it is not taken into consideration in the national standard. Regarding the cardboard coated PE film lunch boxes (also known as "paper-plastic lunch boxes"), due to the current recycling pulping and filtration technology to improve the PE film into small pieces can be collected and processed centrally, with no significant impact on the environment, can also be included in the cardboard coated film type. At present, there is also a rice-wheat husk foaming type, due to poor strength, food hygiene performance is not clear, but also temporarily in the national standard is not considered.
The national disposable foamed tableware replacement work has begun, the Beijing Municipal Government has ordered from 1999 "May 1" will be in the railway station, coach station, airport, the capital civilized scenic spots (points) and hotels and restaurants to ban the sale of disposable foamed plastic tableware, and at the same time require a good job in the recycling of the new substitutes. At the same time, it is required to do a good job of recycling new alternatives, and the recycling rate is required to reach 60% in 99 years. At present, there is not yet a new product in the use of performance and price and will be eliminated foamed PS tableware competition, but with the deepening of the work of the replacement, performance and price of the appropriate products will continue to appear, looking to departments at all levels in the choice of alternative products should run "publicity and education as a guide, strengthen the management of the core, product substitution and recycling management combined with the idea of", pragmatic, realistic and practical, and the recycling of the new alternatives. ", seeking truth from facts, according to local conditions, in strict accordance with the relevant national standards and requirements and the idea of sustainable development of disposable tableware replacement work, choose stable raw materials, reliable performance, affordable, easy to recycle and easy to degrade substitutes, so that the "white pollution" governance in practice, to see the results. The new product is a new type of product that can be used in a wide range of industries.