Guangzhou's foam lunch boxes consume more than 1 million pieces a year

Nine years ago, the State Economic and Trade Commission banned papers and demanded that disposable foam plastic lunch boxes stop production and circulation before the 21st century.

Nine years later, the annual consumption of disposable foam plastic lunch boxes in Guangzhou was still estimated to be over a million by experts.

In the past nine years, an environmental health expert in Guangzhou has been running for the recycling of disposable foam plastic lunch boxes. He has repeatedly said that the representatives of Guangzhou Municipal Government and even the National People's Congress made suggestions on behalf of the National People's Congress for this purpose. However, little progress has been made so far. .

Lv Chunyuan, a senior engineer of the Guangzhou Institute of Environmental Health, and a deputy director of the Expert Committee of the Green Packaging Branch of the Chinese Society of Environmental Sciences, has retired as a specialist for the recycling of disposable foam plastic lunch boxes.

Sun Qingqi, director of the Provincial Price Bureau, revealed last month that Guangdong is exploring the levy of a one-time plastic lunch box recycling fee, which in turn has given rise to hope for Lv Chunyuan. "The use of disposable foam plastic lunch boxes cannot be blocked, and local governments should make a difference in organizing recycling." Lu Chunyuan told reporters.

Disposable plastic tableware does not diminish

From the June 1st this year, the plastic limit order has achieved remarkable results. There are more and more people visiting the supermarkets with bags. However, I am afraid that not many people in Guangzhou know that another common plastic product, the white disposable foam plastic lunch box, should have been “destroyed” as early as this century ago.

In January 1999, approved by the State Council, the State Economic and Trade Commission issued the "Catalogue of Eliminating Outdated Production Capabilities, Processes and Products", commonly known as "Order 6". In this document, disposable foam plastic lunch boxes were banned from expiry before the end of 2000 due to their inability to degrade. In 2001, the relevant state ministries issued notices to block foam plastic tableware for three consecutive times.

“But in addition to Beijing and a few other regions, disposable foam plastic tableware across the country has not only not been reduced, but has also increased. Guangdong is a typical example.” Lu Chunyuan, who has spent years researching garbage sorting and processing technologies, said.

Lv Chunyuan told reporters that according to the data he collected this year, there were 15 foam plastic tableware manufacturing enterprises in Guangdong province in 2000, and the annual output of disposable foam plastic tableware was about 4 billion; now it has increased to 20 or so, and the output reaches 45. More than 100 million. “When I did not retire in 1997, the proportion of plastics in Guangzhou garbage was about 11% to 12%. In recent years, it had reached 16%, and it is still more than 13%. The contribution of the lunch box is very large.” Lu Chunyuan told reporters according to his Investigations revealed that in addition to a few large restaurants and restaurants in Guangzhou, the market share of disposable foam plastic lunch boxes reached more than 90%. According to the information obtained from the production companies, the disposable plastic tableware entering the Guangzhou market each year is about 1.5 to 2 million pieces. Most of the homes of these lunch boxes are landfills.

The most common alternatives cannot be considered "green"

Why disposable foam plastic tableware continue to prohibit? Is the crackdown too small or otherwise hidden? Lu Chunyuan’s answer surprised reporters: “I think that the No. 6 Order was simply a matter of urgency. In the short term, we could not find a more suitable substitute to replace disposable foam plastic utensils.”

“The most common alternative now is a paper lunch box or a so-called 'degradable' lunch box with starch added.” Lv Chunyuan said to the reporter with a finger at her. “But they are not only more expensive than the foamed lunch boxes, but they are not environmentally friendly. ”

Lv Chunyuan explained that the starched lunch boxes can only be “cracked” and cannot be degraded. The starch is partially degraded. The plastic part is still there. This cutlery can only be split into small pieces; paper cutlery is not heat-resistant, easily deformed, and easily deformed. The problem is that papermaking is also a high-consumption, high-pollution industry.

For many reports that the foamed plastic lunch boxes will release the carcinogen dioxin at a high temperature of 65°C, Lu Chunyuan feels it is nonsense. “At present, no national department has published data confirming that foam plastic tableware is toxic.” Dioxins are produced under the following conditions: benzene-containing ring substances and chlorine- and bromine-like substances are present at the same time; temperatures above 200°C; metal catalysts There is no use of the above substances in the production of foamed plastic lunch boxes, and it is never possible to reach a high temperature of 200°C or above in daily use.

In Lv Chunyuan's view, foamed plastics are non-toxic and have good durability. Their low cost also allows catering companies and the public to accept it. This is the fundamental reason why it continues to be more than banned. According to the reporter’s understanding, it is precisely because the use of disposable foam plastic lunch boxes is too extensive. In recent years, relevant government departments in Guangzhou have seldom carried out enforcement actions against these tableware. The ban has long been in use.

Guangzhou companies try to recycle policy barriers

Faced with the reality that can not be forbidden for a short period of time, Lu Chunyuan and a group of environmental sanitation experts have the opinion that why not recycle the lunch boxes using the concept of circular economy?

According to report, used foam plastics can indeed be used as recycled plastics, but the lunch boxes are of light quality and are difficult to clean after being stained with oil. Therefore, the general waste collection stations are not willing to recycle lunch boxes and can only landfill them into non-degradable garbage. . Therefore, the “three-cent Shanghai experience” that the government subsidized recycling has become a model to be enjoyed by Lv Chunyuan and other experts.

In 2000, Shanghai promulgated regulations requiring all companies in the city that produce disposable plastic cutlery boxes to pay 3 cents to the government for each product produced. The government will redistribute it: 1.5 points to the recycling unit, and 0.5 points to the disposal. Units, 0.5 points are paid to management and execution units; 0.5 points are used for transportation costs. As recycling has become profitable, the recycling and reuse of disposable plastic tableware has become the initiative of citizens and businesses. According to the estimation of the Shanghai City Appearance and Environmental Protection Administration, the recycling rate of disposable plastic lunch boxes in Shanghai has reached 80%.

Lu Chunyuan disclosed that there were also companies in Guangzhou that wanted to replicate Shanghai's successful experience. In April 2002, private capital had once built a foam plastic recycling production line in Guangzhou, which can recycle about 2 tons of used disposable lunch boxes per day to produce recycled plastic products such as measuring tapes and pen holders, and the utilization rate can reach 70%. . However, this production line only operated for one year and was shut down because of the intervention of relevant departments. “Some officials believe that since the production of foamed plastic tableware has been banned, the recovery of foamed tableware is inconsistent with the spirit of 'Order 6'.”

Why can Shanghai and Guangzhou not work? “Shanghai is more concerned with the text.” Lu Chunyuan said, “The Shanghai regulations are for disposable plastic lunch boxes, not disposable foam plastic lunch boxes. In fact, most disposable lunch boxes are foam plastic.”

Many NPC deputies proposed no results

The failure of this attempt made Lv Chunyuan realize that a breakthrough must be found at the legislative level.

On the desk of the 10th National People's Congress and General Manager Li Guoqiang of Guangzhou Sanyuanli Industrial Co., Ltd., there is a green pen holder with a line of small prints: "This is produced by recycling 30 plastic lunch boxes." In 2006, Li Guoqiang was persuaded by Lu Chunyuan after some investigations. At the National People's Congress in the same year, he proposed the proposal of “recycling and reusing white pollution”. "This pen holder was produced in that year's recycling production line in Guangzhou." Li Guoqiang told reporters.

In Li Guoqiang's opinion, although the starting point of Order No. 6 was environmental protection, it was obviously hastily banned for a daily necessities involved in the lives of millions of ordinary people. "Simply prohibiting disposable lunch boxes does not effectively control white pollution, and it does not save resources and make good use of resources. The cessation of the No. 6 order has hampered the research and development of new alternatives," said Li Guoqiang.

In June of that year, the State Economic and Trade Commission reiterated in its proposal that the complete elimination of foamed plastic tableware was the most effective measure for controlling white pollution. On the other hand, it also acknowledged that the "Shanghai experience" had achieved results, and the recycling of plastic tableware was also a Good practice. The reply also revealed that the Ministry of Commerce is launching pilot projects for recycling of renewable resources in 24 cities.

Li Guoqiang was quite satisfied with this reply at the time, but after three years, the government still did not show signs of implementation. This made him quite disappointed. In his view, compared with direct prohibition, the government has to do more work and it is more difficult. But this move can really effectively control pollution. The government can't do it because of trouble.

After Li Guoqiang, Liang Xiaoming, representative of the 12th People’s Congress of Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government, put forward a proposal at the Municipal People’s Congress: “Fighting banned foam plastic tableware and promoting recycling.” After that, at the request of Mayor Zhang Guangning, relevant departments of Guangzhou Municipality specially went to Shanghai inspection. In response to Liang Xiaoming, relevant departments stated on the one hand that Guangzhou is building a renewable resource recycling network including plastic tableware. On the other hand, it also admitted that there is currently a legislative gap in the management of disposable foam plastic tableware in Guangzhou. Staff of relevant departments revealed that under the premise that No. 6 Order was not cancelled, as a local government, it was difficult for Guangzhou to act.

"The government's reply is very beautiful, but I can't see the actual action," Liang Xiaoming said. He and Li Guoqiang both said in an interview that although the 6th order has not yet been cancelled, Guangdong and Guangzhou cannot wait for changes in their national policies. Instead, they should study Shanghai and take the initiative.

Lu Chunyuan said that he has persuaded representatives from the national, provincial, municipal and district levels to submit nearly 20 proposals or proposals for the recycling of foam plastic tableware. Although no significant results have been seen so far, he will continue to appeal.

Field visits

The reporter recently visited some catering companies and wholesale markets, and found that the use of disposable foam plastic tableware in Guangzhou is still very common, and the number is huge.

Restaurant: Use 5000 a month

There are many small fast food restaurants in the leisure village of Haizhu District. The reporter saw that the fast food shops here all use foamed lunch boxes without exception. The reporter walked into a dessert gourmet shop. The shop did not even prepare dishes such as bowls, and all meals were packed in lunch boxes. The boss explained that their lunch boxes were set on the phone and sent by others. The boss pointed to a disposable foamed lunch box piled up on the table and said that the lunch box was about a cent, and the kind of environmental protection was more than San Mao. One day, they used more than 100 lunch boxes.

The person in charge of a large seafood restaurant on Guangzhou Avenue told reporters that the restaurant uses an average of about 5,000 disposable foam plastic lunch boxes per month. He also told reporters that large restaurants generally do not need to purchase their own lunch boxes. Salesmen come in contact with the sale. "If there is no special request, all this is a white disposable lunchbox."

Brokers: Ample supply of foam boxes

The reporter telephoned a salesperson of Liu Xiang’s lunch box as the buyer of the restaurant buyer. Mr. Liu said that the average restaurant and fast food restaurant use single-grid lunch boxes, with 600 lunch boxes of 84 yuan, each of which is about 1 gross 2 yuan. The quality of lunch boxes used in some large hotels is better, and the price of each lunch box is 1 hair 5. The price of a two- or three-grid lunchbox is the same as 2-5. The average restaurant and fast food restaurant take goods every 10 to 15 days, and the number of lunch boxes each time is 600. Mr. Liu also told reporters that his lunch boxes were taken directly from the “big factory” in Foshan and had sufficient supply. The restaurant only had to make a phone call and the lunch boxes were delivered to the door. Only when the Spring Festival was there was a shortage of supplies. .

When reporters asked whether there was a more environmentally friendly plastic or paper lunch box, Mr. Liu immediately said: "No one has used this, and they are eliminated." There is no such inventory on their hands.

Wholesale market: paper substitutes are lacking

At the Nantai Wholesale Center in Haizhu District, Guangzhou, the reporters who just entered the door saw that all three or four sets of tableware have wholesale disposable plastic foam lunch boxes. Most of them are divided into single cells and double grid lunch boxes, followed by different materials and sizes. The double grids are basically 115 yuan/bag, and there are 600 pieces of each bag, and about 78 yuan.

In a company called "Sanhe Disposable Cutlery Distribution Department", when a reporter asked whether there was an environmentally friendly lunch box for sale, a salesman thought to tell the reporter: "There is paper, but one needs 6 cents, and few people Buy it."

In the grain and oil wholesale market in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, the reporter also discovered four or five wholesale shops for disposable foam plastic lunch boxes. In a fast-food and plastic bag wholesale store called Xingxing Trading Company, the reporter saw many foam plastic lunch boxes of different specifications piled up in front of and in the warehouse. When a reporter asked whether there was any environmental protection or paper lunch box, the salesman pointed to a lunch box with the words “degradable lunch box” printed on one of the bags. The lunch box was degradable. A cursory comparison of the reporters found that this “degradable lunch box” is no different from the ordinary lunch box in texture, and the plastic foam is on the edge. The price of the two is similar. For paper lunch boxes, the salesperson stated that not only did they have no paper lunch boxes, but other shops did not. "We didn't have lunch boxes," the salesman said.

When reporters asked if anyone had checked these disposable lunch boxes, the salesman said with a smile that everyone used this and no one would check. “We have been opening stores for several years and have been selling this kind of thing!”

Expert point of view

The best biodegradation but low yield and high price

How long can the survival of disposable foam plastic lunch boxes last? Is recycling valuable? How do professionals in the plastics industry view it? This reporter interviewed the only plastic electronics exchange in the country - Guangdong Plastics Exchange, an authoritative expert.

1. What are the hazards of disposable foam plastic meal?

A: The main component of disposable foam plastic is polystyrene, which is currently recognized as harmful to the environment. Due to the inability to decompose, these plastics will remain in the soil for long periods after they are landfilled.

As to whether it is harmful to the human body during use, the current debate is relatively large. Some researchers believe that foamed plastics will volatilize the carcinogen dioxins at 65 degrees Celsius, but many senior engineers and experts believe that this is not possible at daily use temperatures. There is no conclusive statement from relevant authorities in this country.

However, there are now some inferior tableware in the market, and a large amount of talcum powder and industrial paraffin have been added to the production. These are poisonous. According to previous surveys, inferior tableware accounted for about 1/4 of the market.

2. What are the current alternatives to foam plastic tableware?

A: In some places, paper cutlery is used. However, some environmentalists have accused it of making papermaking a highly polluting, high-consumption industry and not environmentally friendly.

The most common in China is "half-degraded" plastic tableware, which is the addition of starch. However, in the past, it was discovered that after the starch was degraded, little or no plastic particles were left in the soil, which was not environmentally friendly.

There is also a biodegradable material. The lunch box is made by fermenting corn and potatoes and then polymerizing to polylactic acid. This product is the best substitute with the best quality and the least pollution.

3. Since there are ideal alternatives, why are polystyrene lunch boxes still banned?

A: One is the price and the other is the output. Polylactic acid materials are 1-3 times more expensive than polystyrene and are used for lunch boxes. The masses and businesses cannot accept it as a problem. In addition, the domestic production of polylactic acid is not large, and it is also more than 100,000 tons in a year. It can be said that supply exceeds supply. At present, most of the polylactic acid plastics in China are used in the production of high-end products such as artificial bones or medical capsules, and there are very few used for making lunch boxes.

4. How long do you think polystyrene boxes can survive?

A: As far as I know, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Economic and Trade Commission, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and other departments all have plans to completely replace disposable foam plastic tableware in five to six years. Several new polylactic acid plastic production lines are now in the planning stage. When the output goes up, the country may implement more tough measures. Disposable foam plastic tableware is not environmentally friendly after all. At present, polylactic acid plastics have great development prospects in China. During the Olympic Games, all disposable plastic products in Beijing were required to be fully degraded, which represents the direction of development.

5. Is it still meaningful to promote recycling of polystyrene lunch boxes?

A: It can be recycled and of course it makes sense. In addition, polystyrene plastic is not only used for tableware, but also used in packaging materials and building materials. All of these foamed plastics can be recycled to produce recycled plastics.