Faced with the pollution of plastic waste, countries around the world have taken different measures from the government to the public to deal with the crisis. In addition to more than 60 countries have issued and implemented prohibition or plastic restrictions, the French government is trying to introduce a punishment system. Forcing merchants to abandon the use of 'non-renewable plastic' to package goods.
On August 12, Brune Poirson, the head of the French Ministry of Ecological Transformation, told the Sunday newspaper (JDD) that the system would increase the cost of using non-recycled plastic packaging for consumer goods, using recycled plastic packaging. The cost of the product can be reduced by 10%, while the cost of products using non-recycled plastic packaging can be increased by 10%.
a series of measures by the French government
When French President Mark Long campaigned, he promised that France would increase the plastic waste recycling rate to 100% by 2025. Prussian once said: 'From 2030 to 2035, all plastic products should be guaranteed to be recyclable, that is, the design is put into use. Previously, it was assumed that the product would be recycled, screened and reused.
The punishment system is only a plan to fulfill the promise of the French government. Other plans include:
French legislation prohibits supermarkets from providing customers with non-biodegradable disposable plastic bags to encourage customers to bring their own shopping bags; a law prohibiting the sale of plastic utensils such as straws is scheduled to take effect in 2020.
France intends to activate the 'return deposit' scheme for plastic bottles: Consumers pay for the 'deposit' of the bottle when purchasing food or beverages, and return the 'deposit' when the empty bottle is sent to the collection point.
The government also plans to increase taxes on landfills while reducing taxes on recycling operations, hoping to address the growing problem of plastics flowing into the ocean.
The color of the recycling bin will be standardized nationwide.
Prussian told Dudmans Daily: 'Declaring war on plastics is not enough. We need to change the French economy. When non-recycled plastics cost more, this will eliminate most over-packaging.'
When there is a choice between two bottles, one made of recycled plastic and one made of non-recycled material, which one would you choose?
French public reaction
Fanny Vismara, the organizer of the French 'Plastic Rubbish City', commented that the French plan is 'part of the solution, albeit incomplete, because it only recycles rather than reduces plastic.'
According to Agence France-Presse, Flore Berlingen, a member of the French non-government environmental organization of Zero Waste France, said: 'Recycling is necessary, but not enough. We must absolutely cut off the use of non-renewable plastics, Take more stringent measures to prevent over-packaging and disposable items.'
Carrefour and Leclerc supermarket chains also said they will stop selling plastic straws in the coming months until a law bans them in 2020.
Emmanuel Guichar, a member of the French 'Plastic and Flexible Packaging' organization (Elipso), is cautious about the government's new initiative: We must not forget other items, and there is currently no 'recycled plastic' available for yogurt cans.
The challenge facing France
According to Consumer magazine, the plastics currently recycled in France account for about 25% of the total plastics, but the annual output of plastic waste in France is as high as 5 million tons.
The French financial media LaTribune has published an article trying to explain why plastic waste recycling in France and even Europe has stagnated. It is not only a matter of science and technology, but also a field of society and psychology.
In France, mentioning plastic waste recycling, recycling personnel, plastics manufacturers and product packers will list the difficulties they face in their actual work. The variety of waste plastics on the market is diverse, and technical and economic problems are the first. Jean Marc Boursier is the head of the Suez Environment Group responsible for the value-added department of the European market. He emphasizes that plastic recycling is a science.
Recycled plastics follow relevant quality indicators and can trace various data of the original products to ensure that the recycled products are competitive after processing. The agricultural and food industries are particularly strict with this requirement. But the reality is that the variety of recycled plastics, combined with the price of oil The lower prices lead to lower prices of new plastic products. Enterprises are reluctant to invest in manpower, material resources and scientific research to classify and process recycled plastics.
In addition, special psychological factors are not conducive to the recycling of recycled plastics. Nicolasde Warren, head of administrative affairs at French chemical company Arekema, said there are two types of people who reject plastic processed products. They are product directors, they are always worried about product sales and performance; the other is consumers.
French industry insiders believe that China's restrictions on the import of western waste lead to the accumulation of plastic waste, but in the long run, this is an opportunity for recycling companies and plastics producers.
ExcelRise is a company that produces plastic film. It has produced and sold 100% recycled and reused polyethylene. The company seems that China's restrictions are even 'future' for France, so local companies can seize Opportunity, production adds 'added value' to the product.
Contamination against plastic waste is a challenge for any country. Compared with plastic and plastic restrictions, more consideration is given to using plastics. 100% recycling of plastics will be better. How to achieve 100% of plastics? Recycling, this will be a social topic, not only related to the advancement of technology, but also various industries related to plastics will participate.