"Visual pollution" refers to the damage of plastic waste scattered in the environment to the city appearance and landscape, such as disposable foamed plastic tableware scattered in the natural environment, ultra-thin plastic bags scattered on both sides of railways, rivers and lakes, flying all over the sky or hanging on branches, which brings bad stimulation to people's vision.
"Potential harm" refers to the long-term deep-seated environmental problems caused by the difficulty of degradation of plastic waste after it enters the natural environment, which mainly includes the following aspects.
1. Plastic film waste remains in the soil in a large area and accumulates for a long time, resulting in soil hardening, affecting the absorption of nutrients and water by crops and leading to crop yield reduction.
2. Plastic waste discarded on land or in water is eaten by animals as food, resulting in the death of animals.
3. The plastic garbage entering the domestic garbage is light in weight, large in volume and difficult to handle. If it is buried, it will occupy a lot of land and be difficult to degrade for a long time.
At present, China has begun to take administrative and technical measures to prevent and control "white pollution".
In administration, the first is to strengthen management. For example, the problem of "white pollution" on both sides of the railway, which is concerned by the society, has been obviously improved by strengthening management. Starting from the second half of 1994, the railway department has segmented the sections along the line. Some passenger trains use bagged garbage, and passengers are forbidden to throw garbage out of the window. Unlike before, the flight attendants directly swept the garbage out of the window, but unloaded the garbage bags at the station for centralized treatment. Nowadays, there are more and more trains using bagged garbage, and the phenomenon of throwing garbage outside the train at will is less and less. "White pollution" has been basically eliminated on both sides of the 29,000-kilometer line. Practice has proved that strengthening management is an effective means to prevent and control "white pollution".
Second, it is forbidden to use disposable plastic packaging materials that are difficult to degrade. Hangzhou is the first city in China to ban the use of disposable foamed tableware. Hangzhou September 5 1995 The Bureau of City Appearance and Environmental Sanitation, the Administration for Industry and Commerce and the Health Bureau jointly issued the Notice on Prohibiting the Use of Foamed Plastic Fast Food Boxes, which was published in Hangzhou Daily for three consecutive days. In the process of implementation, the management department found that some individual mobile vendors are still selling foamed plastic tableware. Recently, the Standing Committee of Hangzhou Municipal People's Congress passed the Regulations of Hangzhou Municipality on the Administration of Urban Appearance and Environmental Sanitation. Article 35 of the Regulations stipulates that it is forbidden to sell and use non-degradable disposable tableware made of foamed plastics. Offenders can be fined 500 ~ 5000 yuan. The Regulation will be implemented from1September 1997 15. Wuhan, Harbin, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo, Shantou and other cities have also promulgated relevant policies and regulations to prohibit the local use of disposable foam tableware. By taking the above measures, the harm of "white pollution" has been alleviated to some extent. However, from the results of practice, it is difficult to completely solve the problem of "white pollution" simply by banning it. All cities that have issued the ban require paper products or degradable plastic products to replace the original fire-resistant foam plastic products. However, substitutes cannot compete with ordinary plastic products in price and quality. Therefore, under the condition of market economy, it is very difficult to operate only by administrative orders without considering the adjustment of economic leverage.
Third, compulsory recycling. Clean waste plastic packaging can be reused, or used for granulation, oil refining, paint making, building materials and so on. Recycling conforms to the general principle of "reduction, recycling and harmlessness" in solid waste treatment. Recycling can not only avoid "visual pollution", but also solve "potential harm", relieve the pressure on resources, reduce the load of urban solid waste treatment, save land and achieve certain economic benefits. This is a good way to treat both the symptoms and the root causes. But recycling should be before the waste plastic packaging enters the garbage. Re-sorting waste plastic packaging from garbage dump is not only time-consuming and laborious, but also has low utilization value. Because the classified waste plastic products are too dirty, it is difficult to classify them by material, and the quality cannot be guaranteed. On the basis of investigation and study, Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau has determined the technical route of "recycling first, substitution second, differential treatment and comprehensive prevention". 1 June, 9971day, the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau and the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce jointly issued the Circular on the Recycling of Waste Plastic Dining Boxes, requiring units or individuals that produce and distribute disposable plastic tableware (including trays, bowls and cups) in Beijing to be responsible for recycling the waste tableware or entrust other units to recycle it. The circular also stipulates that the recovery rate of 1998 must reach 30%, that of 1999 is 50% and that of 2000 is 60%. After the announcement, the production and distribution units and individuals immediately went to the local environmental protection department to apply for registration and put forward their own recycling plans and specific safeguard measures. This is a breakthrough for Beijing to solve "white pollution". After achieving practical results, we will gradually increase the types and proportion of waste plastic products that are forcibly recycled, and finally eliminate "white pollution". Tianjin Environmental Protection Bureau completed the feasibility investigation report of Tianjin's prevention and control of "white pollution" project, and put forward a set of prevention and control schemes, determined to achieve the purpose of saving resources and eliminating pollution through recycling. At present, the recycling plan, the operation chart of the pilot work and the progress outline of the pilot work are being formulated, and the Tianjin White Pollution Prevention and Control Industry Association is being prepared.
Technically, one is to use paper instead of plastic. The main component of paper is natural plant cellulose, which can be easily decomposed by microorganisms in the soil after being discarded, so it can solve the "potential harm" mentioned above, but it will also bring new environmental problems: first, papermaking needs a lot of wood, and China's forest resources are not rich; Secondly, the paper-making process will bring water pollution. In addition, paper products can't compete with plastic products in performance and cost. At present, China also has the practice of producing disposable tableware with sugarcane stalks and straws as raw materials, but it is still in the experimental stage.
The second is to use degradable plastics. A certain amount of additives (such as starch, modified starch or other cellulose, photosensitizer, biodegradable agent, etc. ) is added in the production process of plastic packaging products, which reduces the stability of plastic packaging products and is easier to degrade in the natural environment. At present, there are 19 companies in Beijing that develop or produce degradable plastics. Tests show that most degradable plastics begin to become thinner, lose weight, lose strength and gradually break after being exposed to the general environment for 3 months. If these fragments are buried in garbage or soil, the degradation effect is not obvious. The use of degradable plastics has four disadvantages: first, it consumes a lot of food; Second, the use of degradable plastic products still cannot completely eliminate "visual pollution"; Third, due to technical reasons, the use of degradable plastic products can not completely solve the "potential harm" to the environment; Fourthly, degradable plastics are difficult to recycle because they contain special additives. Measures to solve the problem of white surrounding
White pollution is becoming more and more serious and needs to be solved urgently. At present, no quick solution has been reached. But there are still some measures that can be implemented. Here are some examples:
The straw fiber membrane made of straw and dry wheat in China has reached the chemical standard. Buried in the soil for 8 months, it can be decomposed into fertilizer, with no "legacy" and "benefit". Dupont Chemical Company of the United States has also developed a new type of plastic with lactic acid polymer as raw material, which is made of renewable resources such as cheese whey and corn. After use, it can be degraded into water and carbon dioxide within half a year under the action of air, water and bacteria. These high-tech materials are used to replace the existing "white pollution" to achieve utilization rate, thus reducing white pollution.
Secondly, "green plastics"-degradable plastics, can generally be divided into chemical degradation and photodegradation, biodegradation, and dual functions of light and biology. Manufacture of light (chemical) degradable plastics. Spraying the solution with special formula on the surface of plastic products will make it react with plastic components, so that the plastic will gradually dissolve into harmless substances that can be washed with water, thus greatly reducing the problem of "white pollution".
Scientists in China have developed biodegradable polyethylene films from cellulose, straw and dry wheat. Japan Institute of Industry and Technology has also made degradable agricultural mulch film from dried beancurd and other crop wastes, which not only has a bonding strength as high as 40 kilograms per square centimeter, but also has a relatively low cost. Such a good discovery, applied to real life, should be a gratifying achievement, which not only solves the problem, but also can be used in a limited way. Kill two birds with one stone, how nice!
The above shows that white pollution can be solved, but it is difficult to solve due to technical and financial problems. However, through the efforts of scientists and the developed national economy, we will be able to solve the problem of white pollution.
Now, as citizens, we should not only start from ourselves, but also make great efforts to publicize and let people around us know how to protect the environment. Not only we citizens should work hard, but also our leaders should work hard. Therefore, 1995 promulgated the Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes in People's Republic of China (PRC), and 1999 implemented the Administrative Measures for Restricting the Sale and Use of Plastic Bags and Disposable Tableware in Beijing, which made specific provisions on the prevention and control of white pollution. "Eliminating white pollution and advocating green consumption" became the theme of 1999 "Earth Day" environmental protection publicity activities. Starting the vegetable basket plan and distributing it to reusable shopping bags has become the same action in many cities in China. It can be seen that China has paid attention to the problem of "white pollution" and tried to solve it. The promulgation of these regulations has provided conditions for solving problems.
As a member of the motherland, we should vigorously cooperate with the country to solve problems. It is the responsibility of every citizen to "control white pollution", reduce "white pollution" and establish a green civilization that not only meets the needs of contemporary people, but also does not threaten future generations and pollute the environment. Implementing the strategy of sustainable development is our only choice.
Is it almost there?