ForvegetablevendorXu,aplasticbagisthemostconvincinginvitationtopotentialcustomers.Bundlesofwhiteandblueplasticbagsdangledfromhookstiedtothepolesofabigtentshelteringhisvegetablesfromrainorsun.Uponspottingavisitorwhostoppedandglancedathisvegetables,Xuhandedheranewplasticbag.Shegrabbeditandbegantofillitwithtomatoes.
XuandhiswifeoperateastallattheentranceofaresidentialcommunityinBeijing鈥檚northernHaidianDistrict.鈥淢anyresidentspassbytheentranceeveryday,andforthosewhomakeimpromptudecisionstobuy,theplasticbagsarehandy,鈥漍utoldBeijingReview.
Morethanconvenience,customersalsolikeXu鈥檚plasticbagsbecausetheyarefreeandaretherightsizeforgarbagebinsathome.Theplasticbagsavailableatthesupermarketacrossthestreethavetobeboughtandaretoosmallforhouseholdbins.
Althoughithasbeen10yearssincethegovernmentissuedaregulationonlimitingplasticbagproduction,saleanduseforretailpurposes,theyarestillwidelyusedinChina.
Limitedeffect
ChinarestrictedtheuseofplasticbagsonJune1,2008.Thegovernmentalsoimposedabanontheproduction,saleanduseofanyplasticbagthinnerthan0.025mmbecausesuchsuperthinplasticbagscannoteasilybereusedandareamajorsourceofplasticpollution.Plasticbagsmeetingqualitystandardsmustbeproperlylabeled,accordingtoregulations.
Allsupermarkets,shoppingmallsandotherretailfacilitieswereforbiddenfromprovidingplasticbagsfreeofcharge.Retailestablishmentsmustclearlymarkthepriceofplasticbagsandchargethecostinadditiontocommodityprices.
Theregulationcalledonacceleratedimplementationofwasteclassificationsoastoeffectivelyreducetheamountofplasticwasteendingupinrefuseincineratorsorlandfills.
In2008,3billionplasticbagswereusedeverydayinChina,withonethirdofthemusedtoholdgroceries,accordingtothePlasticRecyclingProfessionalCommitteeofChinaPlasticsProcessingIndustryAssociation.
Now,onedecadeon,whateffecthastheregulationproduced?
DatafromtheNationalDevelopmentandReformCommissionshowedthatfrom2008to2016,theuseofplasticbagsinstoresandsupermarketswasslashedbymorethantwothirds,savinganaccumulatedtotalofabout1.4milliontonsofplasticbags,equivalenttoreducingcarbondioxideemissionsbynearly30milliontons.
Observationsatsupermarketsshowmanyconsumersnowbringtheirownreusablebagsforshopping.Thosewhochoosetopayforplasticbagsalsousebagssparingly.
ButamajorityofretailfacilitiesstillprovidefreeandsubstandardplasticbagsaccordingtoareportbyBeijing-basedChinaZeroWasteAlliance,anNGOfoundedin2011topushforsolutionstoChina鈥檚wasteproblem.Thereportisbasedonon-siteinvestigationsof1,101brick-and-mortarretailfacilitiesinBeijingandGuangdong,Liaoning,Anhui,Henan,Zhejiang,JiangxiandSichuanprovinces.
Itfoundthatamong979storesprovidingplasticshoppingbags,78percentsuppliedplasticbagsthatdidnotmeetqualitystandardsregardingthicknessorlabeling.Only17percent鈥攎ostlylargesupermarketsornationwideconveniencestorechains鈥攃hargedforplasticbags.
Thealliancediscoveredthatoverall,only9.1percentoftheretailfacilitiesunderstudymettheplasticbagqualitystandardandchargedmoneyforthemasrequired.
Ballooningnewdemand
Whileplasticbagsarestillfreelyavailableinmanybrick-and-mortarretailfacilities,boominge-commerceposesnewdifficultiesforcurbingplasticpollution.
InSeptember2017,theStatePostBureaureleasedareportonthestatusquoandtrendofgreenpackaginginChina鈥檚courierindustryatameetinghostedbyBeijing-basedChinaPostandExpressNews.
Thereportrevealedthat14.7billionplasticbagswereusedin2016inthee-commerceindustry,including6.8billionusedbycouriercompaniesforpackaging,withtheremainingusedforpackagingbyonlineretailers.
Plasticpackagingisalsowidelyusedinrestaurants.ChinaZeroWasteAlliancestudied23restaurantsofferingtake-outfood.Itfoundthatnoneofthemchargedforplasticbagsand96percentofthemwereusingplasticbagsthatwereimproperlylabeled.
Today,plasticisusedinvariousaspectsofdailylifeandhasbecomealmostirreplaceable,WangXiaoyi,aresearchfellowwiththeInstituteofSociologyoftheChineseAcademyofSocialSciences,toldBeijingYouthDaily.Thedemandforplasticisrigid:Consumershavetoputproductsintoplasticbagstobeweighedinsupermarkets,whileevenmoreplasticisusedtobottlewaterortoholdtake-outfood,hesaid.Hebelievesreplacingplasticwithsubstituteproductsismoreimportantthanchargingmoneyforusingplasticbags.
Decomposableplasticbagsareavailableinsupermarkets,butatahighercost.The2017studyongreenpackagingofChina鈥檚courierindustrydemonstratedthatdecomposableplasticbagsandtapescostfourtofivetimesmorethanconventionalproducts.Some95percentofcouriercompaniesandstationsthealliancesurveyedexpressedthatthecostofgreenpackagingiscurrentlyuntenableforthem.Hencetopromotegreenpackaging,itisimportanttolowerthecostofdecomposableproducts.
Plasticwasabletoreplaceothermaterialstobecomeanecessitydue,toagreatextent,toitslowcost,saidWang.Butthisisbecauseitsenvironmentalcostisnotincludedinitsproductionprice.Ifthisisfactoredintothepriceofplastic,thenplasticproductswouldbecomeexpensiveandmaybereplacedbyothermaterials,hesaid.Toreduceplasticconsumption,hesuggestedthatmeasuresshouldnotonlybetakenattheconsumptionend,butalsointheproductionprocess.Producersshouldbecompelledtoreducetheuseofplasticinproductssuchaselectronicsandtoys,produceplasticproductswithlongerlifespans,andshoulderrecyclingresponsibilities.
Strictermeasures
Giventhelimitedeffectofthecurrentregulationonrestrictingtheuseofplasticbags,somepeoplesuggestanoutrightbanondisposablenon-decomposableplasticbagsandtableware.TongBin,amemberoftheHunanProvincialCommitteeoftheChinesePeople鈥檚PoliticalConsultativeConference,apoliticaladvisorybodyincentralChina鈥檚HunanProvince,supportssuchaban.HetoldChinaCentralTelevisionthatenterprisesproducingeco-friendlyplasticbagsshouldbesubsidizedtolowertheircosts,whilelawenforcementshouldbesteppedupsothatthoseproducingultra-thinplasticbagsarestrictlypenalized.
Infact,suchanoutrightbanonproducing,sellingorprovidingdisposablenondecomposableplasticbagsandtablewarehasbeenimplementedinnortheastChina鈥檚JilinProvincesinceJanuary1,2015.Plasticproductsmadefrompetroleummustbereplacedwithsubstituteproductsfromrenewablebiologicalmaterialsthatdonotproduceharmfulsubstancesandarebiodegradable.
Atthenationallevel,theNationalDevelopmentandReformCommissionisconsideringhowtoadjusttheordinanceonrestrictingtheuseofplasticbagsandhowtoregulatetheirusebyonlineretailers,couriercompaniesandrestaurantsofferingtake-outfood,saidHeLifeng,thecommission鈥檚head.Atthebeginningof2018,thecommissionstartedtosolicitpublicsuggestionsonpreventingandcontrollingplasticpollution.
PlasticbagsarenowingreatdemandforfooddeliveryXINHUACopyeditedbyRebecaToledoCommentsto