What are the raw materials for common packaging plastic bags and convenience bags? What are the impacts of comprehensive restrictions on the use of plastic bags after Children’s Day?
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I saw in the news that after June 1st this year, retail stores will no longer be allowed to provide plastic bags for free; instead, a fee will have to be paid for shopping bags. Restrict the production of plastic bags. I wonder what the raw materials for these plastic bags and takeout bags are? Is ethylene, with propylene as the source, the origin? If that’s really the case, then it will be these plastic bag manufacturers who are directly affected. But given the enormous amount of plastic bags used in daily life, could a reduction in this level of consumption be sufficient to have an impact on producers of ethylene and propylene? I read online that in recent years the UK’s ethylene industry has been affected by a decline in the sales of plastic bags. White pollution really needs to be addressed. This regulation may seem minor, but its impact could be significant.
The main materials for plastic bags are high-pressure polyethylene (LDPE) and biaxially oriented polypropylene film. Polyethylene and polypropylene are mainly used to manufacture films, containers, pipes, filaments, wires and cables, as well as daily household items; they can also serve as high-frequency insulation materials for televisions, cars, radars, and other devices. Retailers do not provide plastic bags for free; shopping bags are charged for, which can help reduce the use of ethylene and propylene materials to a certain extent. However, our economy is developing at a rapid pace, and the range of applications for ethylene and propylene is expanding as well. Overall, the ethylene and propylene industries will not be affected by this; you can tell by the enthusiasm with which various regions apply to build ethylene production facilities.
White pollution really needs to be addressed. This regulation may seem minor, but its impact could be significant. Whether it can be achieved in the end depends on **’s determination. There were similar bills in the past, but they have all been forgotten. As for the impact on the ethylene and propylene industries, it will not be significant. Looking at the current unfavorable factors, the packaging bags in use at present are mostly direct products made from materials other than ethylene and propylene; rather, about 60–80% of them are recycled products derived from waste, resulting in very low costs. And businesses are even more willing to implement it. The adoption of biodegradable plastics has not been promoted for various reasons, which is why the efforts to address white pollution have progressed so slowly.
We have been to several cities in our neighboring country, South Korea. When we went there three years ago, shopping bags in South Korean supermarkets were already charged for; of course, they also provided paper packaging boxes for free. The plastic bags we bought when leaving a supermarket appear to be made of biodegradable material in terms of texture. When shopping at a small store in the United States, the shopping bags used to hold loose items seem to be biodegradable as well. I really don’t understand why our **doesn’t make greater efforts to use biodegradable shopping bags to replace the current polyethylene and polypropylene plastic bags. Is it simply because the cost of degradation is too high? ! Is it the biodegradable production technology that isn’t up to standard? What the friend upstairs said makes a lot of sense as well; I’m just worried that even if rules are established this time, there will be no actual action taken.
It’s all for 2008; the cities competing this year, including Beijing, will definitely implement it. The rest and what will happen in the future are unclear.
The so-called biodegradable plastics that contain starch are not environmentally friendly, as the substances used in their production are highly toxic, and they do not degrade completely; from an environmental perspective, they are not a viable option. I still hope that supermarkets will provide paper bags or packaging bags made from truly biodegradable materials (such as polylactic acid)
In a market economy, when something is prohibited here, it will surely give rise to another industry that can serve as a substitute.