From food production to food preservation, from mobile phones to auto parts, from personal protection to medical injection... In the past few decades, mankind has produced a total of 8.3 billion tons of plastic and fully enjoyed the convenience it has brought.
At present, micro plastics have been found in every corner of the earth from the peak of Mount Everest to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
These plastics will take about 20 to 500 years to decompose. Even so, it just gets smaller and smaller, not disappear. According to the estimates of research institutions, the average amount of plastic consumed by humans per week is equivalent to a credit card!
At present, plastic pollution has become the focus of global environmental problems. Plastic itself is not a pollutant. The essence of plastic pollution is that non degradable plastic waste leaks into the soil, water and other natural environment, resulting in visual pollution, soil damage, micro plastic and other environmental hazards.
In recent years, waste plastic recycling and recyclable plastics have gradually become a topic of global concern. So what should China do? How are the world giants laid out?
What should China do?
Recently, carbon peak and carbon neutral have been written into the outline of the 14th five year plan for the first time: the national development and Reform Commission issued the 14th five year plan for the development of circular economy (fghz [2021] No. 969) on July 1, 2021. During the 14th Five Year Plan period, China's macro economy has entered a new stage of development, "Based on the new development stage, implement the new development concept and build a new development pattern" will become the main tone of the new development stage, high-quality development will become the main melody of the new development stage, and scientific and technological innovation and low-carbon green development will become the driving force of the new development stage.
Relevant data show that in 2020, China's annual output of plastic products was 76.032 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 7.1%, which is still the largest plastic producer and consumer in the world. The waste of plastics has also caused huge environmental impact. The rapid development of plastic industry has also brought many problems. Waste plastics have accumulated for a long time due to non-standard disposal and lack of effective recycling technology, resulting in serious environmental pollution. Solving plastic waste pollution has become a global challenge. Major countries are taking measures, studying and formulating solutions. The 14th five year plan also clearly states that "reduce the intensity of carbon emissions, support qualified places to take the lead in reaching the peak of carbon emissions, formulate an action plan for reaching the peak of carbon emissions by 2030", "promote the reduction of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and soil pollution control, and strengthen the control of white pollution". This is an arduous and urgent strategic task, and the recycled plastics industry has the responsibility to take the lead in making breakthroughs.
In the work of realizing the "double carbon" goal, first of all, we should clarify the responsibility boundary of emission reduction. The first step is to implement the carbon emission in the production process, and make the measurement means, unified standards and measurement methods scientific. Only on the basis of solid basic work can we scientifically calculate the index of "carbon peak". In basic work, we should not just shout concepts, let alone slogans. In the process of establishing the "carbon peak" index, we should not only consider the current situation of CO2 emission, but also leave room for future development. Secondly, we should speed up the research and development and promotion of green processes for CO2 emission reduction. The regeneration industry must rely on advanced green technology and advanced process technology to achieve CO2 emission reduction. Especially in the chain of industrial production, how to reduce CO2 emission through green advanced technology, how to separate and capture CO2 in the production process, and how to do a good job in CO2 transportation and storage need to be solved by process technology and process means. Third, CO2 neutralization is more difficult.
In addition, in the process of green transformation and development, substantial breakthroughs should be made in plastic pollution control and plastic recycling. In terms of plastic pollution control and plastic recycling, we should do a solid job in four aspects: first, develop and find advanced and practical technologies for plastic pollution control and plastic recycling, and select a number of advanced, applicable and replicable technologies from the physical, chemical and degradable methods of plastics; Second, we should conscientiously organize a number of pilot and demonstration enterprises to promote the selected technologies; Third, on the basis of pilot and demonstration, select some provinces and cities or large and medium-sized cities to carry out wider promotion pilot; Fourth, we should formulate a road map and policy measures and suggestions for nationwide promotion, and form an effective way of plastic pollution control and plastic recycling with Chinese characteristics, technical level and advanced management methods.
Finally, from the recycling end of recycled plastics industry to the market demand end, we should take carbon reduction measures:
The recovery side: speed up the construction of recycling system of recycled plastics, and merge the waste materials recycling network with the domestic waste sorting network. The two mode of Internet plus recycling is actively implemented, and online and offline collaboration is implemented to improve the ability of standardized recycling enterprises to integrate the individual operators. The recycling volume will be expanded from the recycling port, and the recycling body will be gradually standardized.
Supply side: improve the processing and utilization level of renewable resources. Promote the large-scale, standardized and clean utilization of renewable resources, promote the agglomeration and development of renewable resources industries, and build a modern "urban mineral" base at a high level. Implement the standardized management of the recycling industry of waste plastics and other renewable resources, improve the standardization level of the industry, and promote the agglomeration of resources to advantageous enterprises. Accelerate the establishment of a system for the promotion and use of renewable raw materials, expand the market application channels of renewable raw materials, and strengthen the supply guarantee ability of renewable resources to strategic mineral resources. This also further defines the idea of the development of the recycled plastics industry towards standardization and scale. In terms of processing and utilization ports, it is expected to tilt resources to high-quality enterprises in the future. It can be predicted that the current situation of the recycled plastics industry will be gradually changed in the future, that is, the serious polarization, the coexistence of large-scale enterprises and small single enterprises, the weak voice of large-scale and high-quality enterprises and the lack of leading enterprises.
Demand side: promote the high-quality development of remanufacturing industry. Enterprises are encouraged to apply remanufactured products in the after-sales service system and fulfill the obligation of notification. Encourage to further increase the replacement ratio of renewable resources to primary resources. The proposal of this provision is a major positive for the use of recycled products, which will gradually reverse the past of secretly adding recycled materials and be ashamed to admit that their products contain recycled materials. From being abandoned to being valued now, it is also due to the change of use purpose. It used to aim at cost reduction, but now it aims at resource utilization and carbon reduction.
Special action for the whole chain treatment of plastic pollution: scientifically and reasonably promote the reduction of plastic and improve the recycling level of waste agricultural film. Strengthen the classified recycling and recycling of plastic waste. Strengthen policy interpretation, publicity and guidance, and create a good social atmosphere. This is also a further emphasis on the opinions on further strengthening plastic pollution control in 2020.
To sum up, the development of circular economy is a systematic project with wide coverage and strong comprehensiveness. The development of circular economy is a powerful starting point to achieve the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutralization. The realization of carbon peak and carbon neutralization needs to fundamentally change the production and use mode of products. It is very important to reduce the production process emission of products, that is, "process emission". As an indispensable part, waste plastics will be gradually guided by the plan in all links such as recycling, processing and utilization, and will be gradually guided by the plan in all links such as recycling, processing and utilization. It is an important guarantee to achieve the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutralization. In the future, it will further contribute to the development of circular economy, improve resource use, and directly reduce energy and resource consumption Make a contribution that can not be ignored to achieve the double carbon goal.
