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Nine departments jointly issued the Notice on Solidly Promoting Plastic Pollution Control

2020-07-20

July 10th, nine departments including the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued the "Notice on Solidly Promoting Plastic Pollution Control" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice") to ensure that all phased targets and tasks for plastic pollution control at the end of 2020 are completed on schedule. Before the end of the year, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the National Development and Reform Commission will carry out a joint special action on plastic pollution control supervision and inspection with relevant departments. At the same time, as appropriate, the outstanding issues related to plastic pollution control found in the joint special action will be included in the central ecological environment protection inspection category to strengthen supervision and accountability.

The "Notice" emphasizes the need to implement territorial management responsibilities. Require all localities to increase their political positions, further enhance their sense of urgency and responsibility, and introduce provincial-level implementation plans before mid-August, detailed and decompose tasks, and layer responsibilities; supervise the combination of provincial capital cities, cities with independent planning, and cities above the prefecture level, focusing on the phased goals at the end of 2020, put forward measures to ensure that the goals and tasks are completed on schedule.

The "Notice" requires the implementation of territorial management responsibilities. One is to strengthen the supervision and inspection of the prohibition on the production and sale of plastic products. Local market supervision departments shall carry out quality supervision and inspection of plastic products, and investigate and deal with the production and sale of ultra-thin plastic shopping bags with a thickness of less than 0.025 mm and polyethylene agricultural mulch film with a thickness of less than 0.01 mm;

The second is to strengthen the supervision and management of the prohibition and restriction of plastics in retail catering and other fields. Local commerce and other departments shall strengthen the supervision and management of the use of non-degradable plastic bags in commodity retailing places, takeaway services, various exhibition activities, etc., in accordance with the requirements of the Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes, combined with local government work arrangements;

The third is to promote the management of agricultural film. Local agricultural and rural departments should strengthen cooperation with supply and marketing cooperatives, organize and carry out trade-in, transfer of business entities, specialized organization recycling, etc., promote the pilot of EPR system of agricultural film, promote the construction of agricultural film recycling demonstration counties, and improve the recycling of waste agricultural film system

The fourth is to standardize the collection and disposal of plastic waste. Local housing and urban-rural construction departments should combine the implementation of domestic waste classification, increase the classified collection and treatment of plastic waste, and promote the low-value plastic waste that has high sorting costs and is not suitable for resource utilization into domestic waste incineration power plants for energy utilization ,reduce the amount of plastic waste landfill

The fifth is to carry out special cleaning up of plastic waste. The housing and urban-rural construction departments of all localities shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, complete the task of rectifying the large-scale informal storage sites of domestic waste that have been sorted out on time. All local agricultural and rural departments should organize the cleaning and remediation of residual mulch film on farmland. Ecological and environmental departments in coastal areas should take the lead in organizing actions such as cleaning beaches;

In addition, the "Notice" pointed out that the treatment of plastic pollution involves many factors and a wide range of impacts. It requires governments at all levels to keep a close eye on their goals; it is also inseparable from the understanding, support and participation of the public. It is necessary to mobilize relevant companies to perform social responsibility, follow the path of green development; guide the public to green consumption, practice green lifestyles, and form a trinity plastic pollution control system of “government supervision, industry self-discipline, and social participation”.

For more information, please go to https://www.ndrc.gov.cn/xxgk/zcfb/tz/202007/t20200717_1233956.html

 

Sourcehttps://www.sohu.com/a/408502147_114731_trans_=000014_bdss_dkmwzacjP3p:CP=