Today, ubiquitous plastic products are convenient for people's lives, but the resulting plastic waste causes a lot of pollution to the ecological environment. It is estimated that by 2050, 12 billion tons of plastic waste will be produced globally. Plastics scattered on the streets. Garbage can block sewers, pollute water bodies and soils, and even be eaten by animals and enter people's food chain. In the face of severe environmental problems, governments have introduced measures to curb the spread of plastic waste.
Plastic products are flooding, endangering the living environment
The British "Guardian" once named plastic bags as "the worst invention of the 20th century." The world uses 5 trillion plastic bags a year.
People who have lived in Thailand will have this feeling: Thai people like to use plastic bags. Small to street stalls, convenience stores, big supermarkets, shopping malls, even if you only buy one rubber, one bottle of beverage, the salesperson will provide plastic for customers free of charge. bag.
Such considerate shopping services have fueled the Thai people's dependence on plastic bags. According to data from the Thai Environmental Quality Promotion Department, Bangkok uses an average of 8.7 plastic bags per person per day, while the average time a plastic bag is used is only 12 minutes. This 12-minute 'life', each plastic bag takes about 450 years to completely degrade. The white pollution caused by plastic products led by plastic bags is gradually jeopardizing the natural environment and people's normal life.
White pollution exists in many countries. In India, plastic pollution is also plaguing local people. Massive plastic waste is piled up near the Tamil Nagel slum in New Delhi. Plastic bottles, bags, food wrappers and other debris are drained. Flowing in the ditch, silting up in the stinky sewer. Children run around on the garbage dump, using plastic water bottles as toys. On the garbage mountain, cows that eat plastic bottles are often found.
According to the latest report of the Ministry of the Environment of India, most of the plastic waste entered the dump, or scattered on the street, eventually blocking the sewer, polluting the water and soil, and even being eaten by animals, entering the food chain system.
'You see how bad the situation is here.' The housewife Rambati, near the Nagel slum, said that as soon as the rainy season, sewage would flow into the house, and the family had to face the sludge and stench. 'My granddaughter has been Ill, all the children here are often diarrhea or malaria. ' In addition, several people will be killed every year during the rainy season due to the collapse of the garbage mountain. The situation in Nagel slum is a microcosm of the spread of plastic waste in India. According to Indian media reports, the capital New Delhi is daily. Producing 689 tons of plastic waste, nearly 26,000 tons of plastic waste is produced every day in India, at least 40% of which are not recycled.
White pollution has further spread to the ocean, causing the deterioration of the marine ecological environment. In recent years, plastic waste has caused whales and sea turtles to die. It is not uncommon in Thailand. In early June this year, Thailand’s marine resources protection department rescued a sea in Songkhla. The dying whale. Shortly after landing, the whale spit out five plastic bags in a row, and then completely lost vital signs. After the autopsy, the doctor found that there were more than 80 plastic bags in the stomach of the whale, weighing 8 kg. According to Thai media reports, Thailand has become the sixth largest marine polluting country in the world.
Production and consumption are accelerating, recycling is lagging behind
To date, humans have produced 8.3 billion tons of plastic products, of which more than 6.3 billion tons of plastic products have finally become plastic waste. Only 9% of these wastes are recycled, 12% are burned, and another 79% are buried or scattered to nature. In the environment. The UN report shows that less than one-tenth of all plastic products are recycled, 'plastic disasters have been extended to every corner of the globe'. Calculated according to current plastic production and waste disposal rates, by 2050 Will generate 12 billion tons of plastic waste.
The rapid growth of plastics production and consumption is one of the important reasons for the proliferation of plastic waste. In 2017, Thailand produced 27.4 million tons of waste, of which 2 million tons were plastic waste. According to the 2017 data of the All India Plastics Manufacturers Association, The Indian plastics industry has an annual output value of 1.1 trillion rupees (100 Indian rupees or about 9.68 yuan), annual plastic consumption of 13 million tons, and more than 9 million tons of plastic waste. It is estimated that by 2020, the annual consumption of plastics in India will reach 20 million. Ton.
The recycling rate of plastic garbage has not kept pace with the production speed, which has aggravated the white pollution. The plastic garbage produced by the 12 million residents in the Greater Bangkok area, including large and small plastic bags and beverage bottles, has not been properly disposed of, resulting in plastic waste throughout the city. Every corner. Pandi, director of the Environment and Waste Management Office of the Institute of Energy and Resources Research, New Delhi, told this reporter that due to the convenience of use, plastic consumption has been growing, but most plastic packaging has not been effectively recycled after use. Enter the landfill system.
Plastic pollution is first of all related to the lack of environmental awareness among the people. The reporter interviewed in Bangkok found that most Thai people do not know the serious harm of plastic bags to the ecological environment, and when they learned, many people still said: 'Although it will cause Pollution, but there is no plastic bag in life.
In addition, the lack of waste sorting and recycling management has led to the mishandling of plastic waste. According to the Central Pollution Control Commission of India, about 96% of the plastic waste produced in India is recyclable, but it is rarely carried out in the domestic waste treatment. Classification. According to the latest report of the Ministry of the Environment of India, the ineffective and non-scientific management of garbage is a fundamental reason why plastic waste in India cannot be solved. Although New Delhi began to implement the 'plastic limit order' in 2009, the implementation effect is not satisfactory.
Explore 'limited plastic' in all directions to promote sustainable development
At present, more than 60 countries and regions around the world prohibit or restrict the use of disposable plastic products, or charge for the use of disposable plastic products. The United Nations calls on governments to consider prohibiting the use or collection of disposable plastic products to help solve the problem. Environmental Pollution.
The Thai government has been striving to find countermeasures to reduce plastic pollution. In recent years, the Thai government has cooperated with 15 private companies to control the use of plastic bags and called on the public to actively participate in environmental protection actions. The National Innovation Agency of Thailand has launched biodegradable plastic bags. Thailand The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Surasha, also called for the reduction of white waste in three ways: 'deactivate, use less, and innovate', that is, where plastics can be deactivated, they should be deactivated, and those that cannot be deactivated should be used less. Technological innovation, research and development of new materials. According to relevant regulations, national parks throughout Thailand have gradually phased out plastic bags, and some markets in Bangkok will gradually ban the use of plastic foam boxes and switch to new degradable materials.
Indian Prime Minister Modi said that India will eliminate all disposable plastic products by 2022. India will also launch a campaign against marine plastic waste and promise to make 100 national monuments cleaner and reduce plastic pollution. Garbage attractions'. The Lao government announced that it will work with other countries to reduce the use of plastic products, and called on the public to classify and recycle waste, promote the reuse of items, and replace plastic packaging with traditional packaging such as bamboo and paper.
Reducing plastic waste is a global problem that needs to be faced by mankind. Laos Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Song Ma told this reporter that environmental protection requires close cooperation between countries. Laos will focus on protecting biodiversity and sustainable development. China and the international community have cooperated. 'The environmental protection exchanges and cooperation between the two countries have achieved remarkable results. The successful experience of China's governance environment is worth learning. The concept of 'Green Water Qingshan is Jinshan Yinshan' is very meaningful. We hope to bring international advanced Environmental management policies, especially China's successful experience, brought to Laos to help Laos improve environmental governance and management.