In January 22, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the Opinions on Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollution, stipulating that by the end of 22, non-degradable disposable plastic straws will be banned in the catering industry nationwide.
according to the data, in 219, the cumulative output of plastic products in China was 81.84 million tons, including nearly 3, tons of plastic straws, about 46 billion pieces, and the per capita usage exceeded 3 pieces. According to industry experts, the use time of plastic straws is only a few minutes, but the degradation time may be as long as 5 years, so it is difficult to recycle.
However, for customers, there are still differences in the use experience between plastic straws and paper straws. For enterprises, how to control costs and improve customer experience has become an urgent problem to be solved. It is understood that the average cost of a plastic straw is about .3 yuan, and that of a paper straw is around .1 yuan. Paper straws are not only more expensive, but also the experience needs to be optimized.
However, some insiders and experts also said that with the breakthrough and innovation of new materials and technologies, it is not difficult to replace plastic straws with environmental protection.
Liu Jianguo, a professor at Tsinghua University Institute of Environment, said that plastic straws can be replaced by biodegradable bioplastics or recycled products such as paper or bamboo, plant straw, glass and metal.
Extended information
McDonald's and Starbucks stop using plastic straws
1. McDonald's
On June 3th, McDonald's China announced that from now on, nearly 1, restaurants in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen will take the lead in stopping using plastic straws, and at the same time, fine-tune the design of direct drinking cup lids.
McDonald's China said that the related plastic reduction measures will cover the mainland of China in 22. It is understood that there are currently more than 3,5 McDonald's restaurants in the mainland of China, and the average annual consumption of plastic straws is about 4 tons.
2. Starbucks
As the world's largest coffee chain, Starbucks announced in 218 that it would completely stop using plastic straws worldwide this year. Previously, Starbucks used about 2 tons of plastic straws annually in China.
The reporter found that on the take-away platform, many restaurants have added the options of "not using plastic straws" and "using paper straws instead of plastic straws" to encourage consumers to reduce the use of plastic straws.
Beijing Daily-Plastic straws are banned at the end of the year, and the cost and experience are difficult problems to be solved.