Multi-faceted regulation of the plastics industry for environmental burden reduction

Collectively discard and recycle "one-stop"

Every time after the online shopping festival, the courier boxes stacked in the mountains always make people worry, when to throw them, where to throw them, many people are not clear. In Switzerland, a complete classification and recycling system for waste paper, waste paperboard and waste paper boxes has been formed for decades.

Generally speaking, people will strictly flatten the waste cardboard and cardboard boxes at the specific time and put them at the door, waiting for the special institutions to recycle them, instead of throwing them out of the door and cleaning them. People add trouble. After receiving the "goods", the staff of the recycling agency will send the cardboard and cardboard boxes to the collection points set up at the village level, clean and classify them according to the quality level, and then transport them to the cardboard processing factory. Not only that, but the recycling operations of other renewable resources in Switzerland have also been very successful, and they have also adopted a system of centralized disposal. Various recycling associations are responsible for managing and prepaying the processing costs. The recovery rate of plastic beverage bottles, aluminum cans and glass is above 70%. In particular, packaging waste with higher value has received special attention from recycling companies. There are 22 special treatment centres in Switzerland, where aluminum and steel packaging are separated by magnets to remove surface material, which is then pressed into large pieces and transported to five smelters near the border for production into new industrial parts.

The law is forced to regulate production behavior

As early as the 1960s, the United States noticed the dangers of packaging waste, and some state governments began to take legal measures for mandatory recycling. In 1970, the US government established a resource recovery system, but because the federal government did not have the power to impose opinions on packaging waste issues on state governments, the promotion effect of the system was not as expected. By the end of the 1980s, the federal government had turned to a general policy that allowed lawmakers to make a plan for the difficulties encountered in practice, including reducing packaging sources, recycling, recycling, and incineration, and instead responded to states. . Among the most influential include: In 1993, California developed a “beverage container ransom system” that requires all hard plastic containers to be recycled in accordance with the previously proposed 10% reduction in raw material usage, or must include 25%. The requirements for recyclable materials are not allowed to expand production.

The Florida State Government is actively pursuing the Waste Disposal Pre-Charging Act (ADF), which will cover the cost of packaging waste for consumers who choose goods. In order to encourage the recycling enthusiasm of packaging container manufacturers, ADF stipulates that manufacturers can apply for exemption from waste tax as long as they meet the annual “passage line” for recycling. For example, according to the list of materials published by the US Environmental Protection Agency every year, if the recovery rate of listed materials reaches 50% or more, the prepayment processing fee can be waived.

Starting from me, "zero waste" life

In order to change the situation in which packaging waste is discarded at will, it is often better to start from the consumer side. In the United States, there is a family of four who are unwilling to continue to be the "accomplice" of the destruction of the earth, and actively practice the "zero-abandonment" life and make changes from the source.

The first initiative was the mother Bia, who explained that “zero-abandonment” life is to find alternatives to what would otherwise be rubbish, to ensure that no solid waste is present in the home. After all, the ultimate goal of this lifestyle is to stop using the landfill, thereby reducing the individual's “carbon footprint” and reducing pollution. In other words, the family has to completely subvert the past consumption habits. As a housewife, Bia takes the living from her home as a starting point. When purchasing food and cleaning products, she should use the principle of “zero waste” and almost no plastic packaging products. For example, bagged shaving cream is replaced by paper-wrapped shaving soap; cosmetics should be selected from containers that can be recycled; when they go to the supermarket, they only buy ingredients and do not buy processed foods, and then put them into their own glass jars. In addition, toilet paper is only 100% environmentally friendly non-bleached paper in paper, and toothpaste is replaced by homemade tooth powder in glass bottles. As a result, there is only one mini trash can (for loading garbage that is not suitable for replacement) and an environmental protection bucket.

Some people think that such a lifestyle is too extreme. But Bia said, "When I saw the trash can in the city is always full, I saw that someone left the coffee cup and the outer bag after drinking, or saw the magazine full of over-packaged product advertisements, I understand that environmental education work still It needs to be strengthened."