Proposal to use fully biodegradable plastics at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

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Fully biodegradable plastics are a new type of functional plastic; after being discarded, they can be degraded into carbon dioxide and water by microorganisms in nature, returning to the environment without causing pollution. As an emerging material of the 20th century, plastic has been widely used in various fields of industry, agriculture, and daily life thanks to its advantages such as light weight and low cost. The growth rate of plastics has surpassed that of steel; currently, the scale of the plastic industry worldwide exceeds 150 million tons, and in developed countries, the annual per capita consumption of plastics has reached 100 kg. In 2002, China’s total output of plastic products was close to 25 million tons, ranking it second in the world. On the one hand, plastics have brought great convenience to our lives; on the other hand, a large amount of plastic waste has also caused increasingly serious environmental problems. Plastic waste is characterized by its large volume and stable properties, and traditional disposal methods such as landfilling and incineration can cause severe environmental damage. Developing recycling and regeneration technologies is an effective measure to address plastic pollution, and for the large amount of plastic waste that is difficult or impossible to recycle – accounting for 10% of all plastic products – the use of biodegradable plastics is even more advantageous. Therefore, the development of biodegradable green plastics in natural environments has received widespread attention from governments, research institutions, and the industry around the world. Our country **attaches great importance to the research and development of environment-friendly materials. In recent years, China’s GDP has been growing at a rate of 7% to 8%, and **environmental safety is also facing severe challenges. To support the successful hosting of the Olympics, **100 billion yuan has been invested to boost the development of environmental protection initiatives. Since the introduction of solid waste disposal methods in 1995, waste from packaging materials has been required to be recyclable, easy to dispose of, and capable of being degraded by the environment. Subsequently, **guidelines for the reduction, recycling, and harmless treatment of solid waste were also issued. The development of biodegradable plastics involves multiple disciplines such as chemistry, microbiology, agriculture, and environmental science, making it a true high-tech field. At the end of the last century, the price of biodegradable plastics was high, around 10 times that of conventional plastics; thanks to the joint efforts of the scientific and industrial communities, its price has now dropped to about 2-3 times that of conventional plastics. It has been industrialized in countries such as the United States, Japan, and Europe, and has entered the practical application stage. Fully biodegradable plastics in our country, such as polylactic acid, polycaprolactone, polyhydroxyalkanoates, and polycondensed polyesters, have passed pilot-scale tests; their performance has reached the level of similar products internationally. Several companies, including Haierkehua, already possess the capacity for large-scale production. However, due to economic, social, and other factors, the use of biodegradable plastics in our country is not yet widespread. Based on the experience of Sydney in 2000, the Olympics consume large amounts of plastic materials, and fully biodegradable plastics are crucial for highlighting the theme of a \"green Olympics\". It is recommended to promote the use of biodegradable plastics during the Olympics, thereby adding luster to the \"Technology Olympics\" and color to the \"Green Olympics\"!