China's ban on disposable plastic: Greenpeace praises China

Greenpeace is convinced that The new plastic ban in the people's Republic could relieve the polluted seas of the world significantly. A large part of the pla

China's ban on disposable plastic: Greenpeace praises China

Greenpeace is convinced that The new plastic ban in the people's Republic could relieve the polluted seas of the world significantly.

A large part of the plastic waste in the Pacific originates from China photo: Claro Cortes/reuters

BEIJING taz | critics of strict environmental protection measures do not rarely that any ambitious measure in the history of Germany in the world only a literal drop in the bucket say be. An Argument, which by no means applies to the people's Republic of China is 1.4 billion people the most populous country in the world.

Accordingly, euphoric NGOs to take the recent Directive of the Beijing environmental Ministry from Sunday to prohibit, among other things, plastic bags in supermarkets, and disposable products for food suppliers. In the major cities of the country, the directives are already in force at the end of the year, the Rest of the country needs to follow suit by 2025. Alone in the catering area so the plastic consumption should be at least 30 percent reduced.

"in Beijing, the plastic problem is serious and pushes for reusable containers," says Tang Damin, from China's Greenpeace office. Small blemish has the state measure, according to the environmentalists, though; no Deposit systems were not yet in planning. Overall, however, the Chance to offer a reversal of the rampant disposable culture that the booming food delivery have introduced services and Online mail order.

Tang, Greenpeace also hopes that the struggle of the Chinese government against the plastic waste will also relieve the polluted seas of the world. In the year 2017, China has been rinsed according to the Ministry of the environment just over 200 million cubic meters of waste into the sea – especially over the Yangtze river and the pearl river in the South of the country. At that time, the Ministry criticised the fact that some regions have "sufficient awareness" of the Problem.

According to a study by the Helmholtz centre for environmental research from the year 2017, 90 percent of the waste originating in the oceans from ten rivers, which all flow six by the Chinese mainland.

How effective the measures adopted in Beijing are, it will show the earliest from the end of the year, when these occur in the first core regions in force. So far, seems to be still unclear what penalty the new rules will set measures. Tang Damin, Greenpeace firmly believes, however, that the government will "create".

in General, the environmental expert has observed in the last two decades, a paradigm shift: Drive before, it was mainly the civil sector, the social change, this happens, in the meantime, especially from the top down. "It is good that the state has realized the seriousness of the problem," says Tang. At the same time, however, the present government has curtailed under President Xi Jinping, the room for manoeuvre of NGOs seriously in the public discourse interact with.

Date Of Update: 22 January 2020, 09:00
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