Вашингтон устанавливает новые правила для одноразовой пластиковой упаковки

Editor's note: Washington recently introduced an environmental protection policy prohibiting restaurants and grocery stores from using disposable lunch boxes and beverage bottles made of polystyrene foam, and the policy was approved by the mayor and the city council. Seattle and San Francisco had already introduced related policies earlier, and other cities are discussing the issue.

It is understood that Washington Mayor Vincent Gray recently introduced a series of environmental protection policies, which were approved by the city council. Previously, Seattle and San Francisco also introduced related environmental protection policies, stipulating that restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores and mobile food trucks may no longer use disposable foam plastic lunch boxes and beverage bottles.

Polystyrene foam is almost difficult to degrade, which makes it one of the targets boycotted by environmentalists. However, this ban issued by the government has met with strong opposition from the plastics industry. Plastic companies say it will force restaurants selling takeaway food to increase operating costs, and these costs will eventually be passed on to consumers, creating unnecessary burdens for businesses and individuals. Nevertheless, supporters of the policy claim that the ban will effectively reduce the plastic waste that runs rampant in the Anacostia River. The Anacostia River runs through the heart of the capital city of Washington and is an important river. However, with the increase in the use of foam plastic packaging boxes, the riverbanks and the river water are covered with discarded plastic waste, causing serious environmental pollution.

Washington D.C.'s policy of banning disposable plastic packaging boxes is in step with Seattle and San Francisco. At the same time, some other cities have adopted similar bans, while others are discussing the issue.

The ban is expected to take effect in 2016, two years earlier than the time Mayor Gray previously requested.

It is understood that waste plastic is very harmful. Non-organic plastic will not rot until 200 years after being buried underground. If incineration is adopted, it will produce harmful smoke and dust and toxic gases, polluting the environment over the long term. After plastic forcibly enters the soil, its own impermeability will affect the transfer of heat within the soil and the growth of microorganisms, thereby changing the characteristics of the soil. After accumulating over a long period, these plastic bags will also affect the absorption of nutrients and water by crops, leading to reduced crop yields.

California in the United States has also decided to completely ban the use of disposable plastic bags. After this prohibition bill is passed, Californians shopping in supermarkets can only use bags they bring themselves, or use paper bags, bags containing degradable substances, or reusable bags provided by the supermarket, and customers must pay 10 cents for bags provided by the supermarket.

Last year, the European Union called on member states to reduce the use of non-organic plastic bags to alleviate the environmental pollution crisis. According to EU statistics, the EU consumes tens of billions of non-organic plastic bags each year, and member states have agreed to reduce the use of non-organic plastic bags, but the results have been poor. According to a survey, in Denmark and Finland in Northern Europe, each person uses 4 non-organic plastic bags per year on average, while in Poland each person uses 466 non-organic plastic bags per year on average. Cyprus is another country with serious use of non-organic plastic bags.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-361775.html