Green Packaging and Reflection of "Blanking"

(a) What is the real "green packaging"?

In recent years, "green packaging" has become a very fashionable word. What is the real green packaging? The author believes that at least the following conditions should be met:

1. The raw material extraction process of “green packaging” products will not cause damage to the environment;

2. In the process of manufacturing “green packaging” products, no harmful substances such as exhaust gas, waste water, and waste residues are generated;

3. End-use “green packaging” wastes should be able to be recycled and reused, or be disposed of by landfills, incineration, etc., without causing damage to the environment.

Using the above conditions, some of the so-called "green packaging" is clearly not worthy of the name. For example, paper packaging products, although relatively easy to degrade (in fact, the paper is buried deep in the ground, due to the lack of oxygen, it is difficult to degrade for decades or even longer), but it uses most of the pulp from the forest felling In the process of pulp production, a large amount of waste water is often discharged, causing serious pollution.

For another example, most “degradable plastics” are composed of a certain proportion of plastics and starch. Not only is it difficult to recycle, but after the landfill, “degradation” is only the starch component, and the plastic components remain in the soil for a long time. in.

(B) Reflections on the Policy of "Blanking"

1. Why EPS foam tableware is still used?
It has been several years since the issuance of the No. 6 Order. However, in many places, EPS foamed plastic tableware is still popular and very popular. What is the reason? In fact, from the consumer's point of view, EPS foam plastic tableware is a very ideal tableware: sanitary performance, thermal insulation properties and other performance are very good, and the price is very low. Because of this, it is still widely used by consumers in the world (including most developed countries). China has for many years "whitened" and has not found an ideal product that can truly replace EPS foam plastic tableware. For example, some pulp molding tableware, rice grains stick in the above can not fall down, and some Sheng Tang water is difficult to use soft hands, and especially when the temperature is low, when the restaurant delivery to the customer's hands, the food has long been cold. Most “degradable” plastic tableware cannot be degraded for a long time after landfilling, and has poor performance and high price. As for some tableware made from raw materials such as straw and rice husk, they can be biodegraded, but because of this, they are easily contaminated by bacteria under certain conditions (such as high temperature and high humidity season), resulting in health The hidden danger. Because these alternative products are difficult for consumers to accept, in some places to solve the problem of fast food tableware, but also produced a "washing company" and other methods, but it is not successful, most consumers still think that EPS foam plastic tableware is The best: safe, easy to use, cheap.

Another example is a plastic shopping bag. This product has been more and more widely used after the people's living standards have been raised in China. It is convenient because it is popular with consumers. At the same time, plastic shopping bags are also the bulk export packaging products in China (the recent US anti-dumping investigation on plastic shopping bags exported to China shows that Americans are also widely used). Due to the pollution of the abandoned plastic shopping bags to the environment, some places have proposed bans. Some environmentalists advocate shopping with their own packaging (bags or plastic mesh pockets, etc.). Although environmental issues have been solved, consumers are inconvenient.

2. Can you change your mind?
Plastic packaging materials (and various composite packages made of it) play an increasingly important role in modern economic life because it has advantages that other materials cannot match: light weight, high specific strength With good chemical stability and good barrier properties, plastic packaging materials have become the fastest growing category among the three major modern packaging materials (paper, plastic, and metal). However, public opinion on plastic packaging has not stopped one day. Indeed, waste plastic packaging can not be degraded for a long time after landfilling, which will have some impact on the environment. However, products that do not affect the environment should be prohibited from production or prohibited from use.

The author believes that a different line of thinking should be used to deal with the contradiction between using plastic packaging and environmental protection. This is the way to take recycling and recycling economy. The country’s national conditions are large in population and relatively poor in resources. There are more reasons to practice circular economy than other countries. For example, for the EPS foam plastic tableware, the government can adopt economic, administrative, and legal means. According to the principle of “who is responsible for pollution, who govern,” manufacturers and distributors can recycle and recycle the foamed plastic tableware that can be used. To regenerate fuel oil, or to re-pelletize, to make other industrial products. In this way, we have not only recovered resources, solved pollution, but also created new industries and employment opportunities. We have done everything in one fell swoop, why not? In fact, as early as 1997, there were some large domestic EPS foam plastic dishes. The production company has already invested its own money. Together with the environmental sanitation department, it has recycled waste plastic foamed plastic tableware. In some cities, the recycling rate has exceeded 60%, and it has been increasing year by year. Another example is whether the recycling of plastic shopping bags can be made up of supermarkets and stores as a major link, forming a circular chain: When consumers go to the store to shop, they must pay a deposit for a suitable plastic shopping bag. Bring used bags to the store for centralized recycling, reselling them to the relevant processing company, re-materials or other uses.

Other types of waste packaging products (including those that can be degraded) should also follow this line of thinking for recycling and take the road of circular economy. Of course, the “waste recycling and recycling” method has already begun to be brewed in many cities. It would be even better if it can be widely promoted as soon as possible.

The history of social development at home and abroad has proven that with the improvement of the economic level and people’s living standards, there are more and more discarded packaging materials, and the proportion of waste packaging materials in urban garbage is also increasing, that is, garbage. There are more and more resources available for use. We hope that our government departments must not forget this when formulating policies, regulations, and laws concerning packaging.