About the New Ban for Plastic, Here are Some Key Points

網絡轉載 ? 2020年2月12日 23:40 ? 餐飲資訊 ? 閱讀 0

The Nation Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecological Environment published Opinions of Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollution.

Here are the key points of the Opinions.

Main Targets

By 2020

The production, sale and use of parts of plastic products will be banned or restricted firstly in some regions and industries.

By 2022

The consumption of disposable plastic products will be significantly reduced, alternative products will be promoted, and the proportion of recycled plastic waste will be remarkably increased; a number of reproducible and promotable models of plastic reduction and green logistics will be created, firstly in the areas of severe plastic pollution and some emerging industries such as e-commerce, expressage, and take-out services.

By 2025

The management system for the production, distribution, consumption and recycling of plastic products will be established; a multi-governing system will be formed; the level of development and application of alternative products will be further improved; the landfill of plastic waste in key cities will be substantially reduced, and plastic pollution will be under control.

Prohibition and Restriction on the Production and Sale

The production and sale of ultra-thin plastic shopping bags thinner than 0.025mm, and polyethylene mulch thinner than 0.01mm will be prohibited.

Plastic products made from medical wastes will be prohibited.

The import of waste plastics will be prohibited

By the end of 2020, the production and sale of disposable foaming plastic tableware and disposable plastic cotton swabs will be prohibited; the production of daily chemical products containing plastic microbeads will be prohibited.

By the end of 2022, the sale of daily chemical products containing plastic microbeads will be prohibited.

Prohibition and Restriction on the Use

Non-degradable Plastic Bags

By the end of 2020, in municipalities, provincial capitals, and other cities on the plan list, non-degradable plastic bags will be prohibited in places like shopping malls, supermarkets, pharmacies and bookstores and other places, as well as in catering take-out services and exhibition activities; and the use of non-degradable plastic bags will be regulated and restricted in markets.

Picture source: Hotelier India

By the end of 2022, the scope of implementation will be extended to all built-up areas in cities above the prefecture level and built-up areas in counties of coastal regions. By the end of 2025, the use of non-degradable plastic bags will be prohibited in the markets in these areas. If available, the prohibition of non-degradable plastic bags is encouraged to be implemented in the markets of places like urban fringes, towns, and rural regions.

Disposable Plastic Tableware

By the end of 2020, non-degradable disposable plastic straws will be prohibited in catering industry nationwide; non-degradable disposable plastic tableware will be prohibited in built-up areas and restaurants of scenic spots in cities above the prefecture level.

By the end of 2022, non-degradable disposable plastic tableware will be prohibited in built-up areas and restaurants of scenic spots in counties.

By 2025, the consumption intensity of non-degradable disposable plastic tableware in the catering industry and take-out service will decrease by 30% in cities above the prefecture level.

Picture source: Freepik

Disposable Plastic Supplies in Hotels

By the end of 2022, star-rated hotels nationwide will no longer provide disposable plastic products without demands. Related services can be provided by setting up self-service purchase machines and providing refillable containers of detergents. By the end of 2025, the scope of implementation will be expanded to all hotels and Minshukus.

Plastic Packaging of Expressage

By the end of 2022, the delivery outlets of China Post in Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and some other provinces will prohibit the use of non-degradable plastic packaging bags and disposable plastic woven bags, and reduce the use of non-degradable plastic tapes.

By the end of 2025, the delivery outlets of China Post nationwide will prohibit the use of non-degradable plastic packaging bags and disposable plastic woven bags.

Promote the Application of Alternatives

Promote the Application of Alternative Products

In places like shopping malls, supermarkets, pharmacies and bookstores, the use of non-plastic products, such as environment-friendly cloth bags, paper bags and degradable shopping bags, will be promoted, and the installation of self-service and smart devices will be encouraged to facilitate the daily life of the people.

The use of biodegradable packaging films or bags for fresh products will be promoted; a centralized buying and selling system for shopping bags in markets will be established; the use of bio-based products that meet function and safety requirements, such as straw-covered lunch boxes that meet performance and food safety requirements, will be promoted in catering industry and take-out services, so are alternative products such as degradable plastic bags; and the use of degradable mulch films will be largely promoted according to local agricultural methodologies in areas where plastic mulch is widely used.

Foster and Optimize New Industries and New Models

The enterprise responsibility of green management will be strengthened. Green supply chain will be implemented. E-commerce, delivery and other platform enterprises will strength the management of settled merchants, develop implementation plan for reducing the quantity of disposable plastic products and alternative to disposable plastic products, and inform the public of the implementation.

Whole Foods Market uses paper bags instead of plastic bags

Picture source: The Verge

Focuses will be lay on chain supermarkets, large markets, logistics warehousing E-commerce and expressage, and enterprises are encouraged to promote the production of products with recyclable or foldable packaging and the use of logistics distribution devices through equipment leasing and financing leasing.

Enterprises are encouraged to build a cross-platform operating system for recyclable packaging through equity cooperation and joint capital injection. They are also encouraged to use integrated packaging that meets the needs of both sale and logistics, and establish a recycling system for recyclable logistics and distribution devices.

Increase Supply of Green Products

Plastic product manufacturers must strictly obey relevant laws and regulations, produce plastic products that meet the standards, and not add chemical additives that are harmful to human body and environment.

“Green” design should be promoted to improve the safety and recyclability of plastic products. New environment-friendly materials should be used, the utilization of recyclable plastic should be increased if it meets QC standards and Use Regulation, and the development of recyclable and degradable alternative materials and products should be strengthened in order to reduce the costs and effectively increase the supply of green products.

Regulate the Recycling and Disposal of Plastic Waste

Strengthen the Recycling and Transportation of Plastic Waste

The policy should cooperate with the implementation of garbage classification to improve the collection and treatment of the recyclable such as plastic wastes, and random stacking and dumping of plastic wastes should be abandoned to avoid pollution.

In places such as office buildings, airports, stations, ports and docks where large amounts of plastic wastes are generated, it is necessary to increase the amounts of collection facilities and increase the frequency of clean and transportation.

The cooperation between e-commerce take-out platforms, sanitary department and recycling companies should be promoted; recycling facilities should be placed to collect express packaging and take-out meal boxes in necessary areas. Meanwhile, the recycling system for waste mulch films should be established and improved, and the recycling and disposal of waste fishing nets and fishing gear should be standardized.

Promote Resource and Energy Utilization

The standardization, centralization, and industrialization of the plastic waste recycling should be promoted. Relevant projects must be clustered into parks such as resource recycling bases to improve plastic waste utilization.

Picture source: gorecycle

Energy utilization should be promoted when plastic waste needs high sorting cost and is unsuitable to be used as resource. The management of enterprises that burn wastes for power generation should be strengthened, whether the discharge of various pollutants meets standards should be ensured, and the direct landfill of plastic wastes should be decreased as possible.

Carry out Targeted Cleaning of Plastic Wastes

The investigation and improvement of irregular dumping spots of domestic garbage should be accelerated, the problem of plastic pollution caused by random dumping and stacking of domestic garbage should be resolved especially in urban fringes, environmentally sensitive areas, along roads, rivers, ponds and ditches

Garbage clean-up actions should be carried out near rivers, lakes, harbors and beaches. The cleaning of waste mulch film, plastic packaging of pesticides and chemical fertilizers should be promoted, and the amount of waste mulch film in farmland should be gradually reduced.

Improve Support and Guarantee System

Establish Sound Laws, Regulations and Standards

Promote the amendment of relevant laws and regulations, and incorporate the prevention and control of plastic pollution into them.

Update and release the catalogue of prohibited or restricted plastic products in time.

Set down “green” design guidelines for plastic products.

Improve the QC standards of recyclable plastic and regulate the use of it.

Develop and revise standards and signs of degradable materials and products.

Establish and improve “green” management and evaluation standards for enterprises in emerging industries such as e-commerce, expressage, and take-out service.

Conduct research about grading evaluation of packaging suitability for commodities with prominent packaging problems, and put forward differentiated management measures.

Incorporate the requirements to control disposable plastic products into the rating standards of tourist attractions and star-rated hotels. Improve environmental protection related standards for resource and energy utilization of plastic waste.

Explore to establish the regulation of the information disclosure system for the production and sale of plastic materials and products.

Explore to implement the system of incentive for enterprise legal representative keeping faith and punishment for losing faith. Illegal production, sales and uses of plastic products and other activities will be listed in dishonest record.

Improve Related Support Policies

Increase support for important projects such as the development and production of green packaging, the construction of green logistics and distribution system, and the placement and operation of specialized and intelligent recycling facilities.

Ensure the implement of relevant fiscal and taxation policies and increase governmental purchase of green products that meet standards. Carry out pilot projects such as the construction of new green supply chains, the promotion of new products and models, and the recycling of waste mulch films.

Local governments should support the launch of specialized recycling facilities and the elimination of management barriers that prevent the facilities from entering public places such as communities, subway, stations and office buildings. local governments are also encouraged to take economic measures to promote the reduction and substitution of disposable plastic products. Public agencies should take the lead to stop using non-degradable disposable plastic products.

Strengthen Scientific and Technological Support

Carry out researches and evaluation of the environmental risks of different types of plastic products in their lifecycle. Strengthen researches on the mechanism, monitoring, prevention technologies and policies of plastic garbage and microplastic pollution in water, and implement the assessment of the impact of ecological conditions and the risk to human health.

Promote researches and achievements of key technologies of recyclable and degradable materials, and improve the performance of alternative materials and products. Focus on safe and controllable degradation and economical large-scale application, and carry out technical verification and product selection of degradable mulch films.

In addition, Opinions also proposes to strictly supervise the law enforcement, strengthen daily management and examination, and strictly implement policies and measures that prohibit or restrict the production, sale and use of some plastic products.

There is no doubt that recycling economy has become the main theme of the development of the present global plastic industry.

翻譯來源：

[1] 《重磅！中國最新禁塑令、限塑令要點都在這》，2020年1月19日，CPRJ塑料橡膠

[2] 《官宣！我國禁塑、限塑期限明確了》，2020年1月19日，人民網

*如需獲取《關于進一步加強塑料污染治理的意見》英文解讀pdf文件，請在后臺回復“限塑令英文”。

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