Since 2018, many countries have issued “plastic restriction orders”, and clarified the starting implementation time, banning white pollution is an urgent task for all mankind. China also issued the latest version of the “plastic restriction order” on January 19, 2020, the new version of the plastic restriction order three-step approach, in accordance with the principle of “banning a batch, replacing a batch of cycles, and standardizing a batch”, divided into three time periods of 2020, 2022 and 2025, to clarify the task goal of strengthening the phased treatment of plastic pollution.
On January 19, the “Opinions on Further Strengthening the Control of Plastic Pollution”, known as the new version of the “Plastic Restriction Order”, was released, and non-degradable plastic bags, disposable plastic tableware, and express plastic packaging were included in the scope of prohibited and restricted plastic products. It is reported that in 2020, Beijing will prohibit the use of non-degradable plastic bags in shopping malls, supermarkets, pharmacies, bookstores and other places in the built-up area, as well as catering takeaway services and various exhibition activities, and the use of non-degradable plastic bags will be regulated and restricted in the bazaar. By the end of 2022, the consumption of single-use plastic products will be significantly reduced, and alternative products will be promoted. The new version of the plastic restriction order is three steps, in accordance with the principle of “banning a batch, replacing a batch of cycles, and standardizing a batch”, divided into three time periods of 2020, 2022 and 2025, and clarifying the task goal of strengthening the phased treatment of plastic pollution.
Australia： from 1 July 2018
Effective 1 July 2018, Queensland and Western Australia, Australia, banned retailers from offering single-use ultra-thin plastic bags to customers. Since then, only New South Wales, the eight boroughs of Australia, have not implemented a plastic bag ban.
Under Queensland regulations, retailers who provide disposable ultra-thin plastic bags up to 35 microns in thickness may face hefty fines of up to $6,300 (30,000 yuan).
Woolworth, Australia’s largest supermarket chain, has stopped providing single-use plastic bags to customers in 1,000 stores across the country since June 20, 2018, and customers need to bring their own shopping bags or buy recyclable and environmentally friendly plastic bags when shopping.
The Republic of Korea ：from January 1, 2019
The Ministry of the environment of the Republic of Korea issued a statement on its official website saying that according to the “Amendment to the Law on Conserving Resources and Promoting Resource Recycling”, from January 1, 2019, more than 2,000 hypermarkets in South Korea and 11,000 supermarkets with an area of more than 165 square meters will completely ban single-use plastic bags.
In addition to plastic bags for fish and meat, etc., relevant hypermarkets and supermarkets can only provide customers with environmentally friendly shopping bags, paper shopping bags, recyclable containers and other items. If single-use plastic bags are found, the merchant will be fined up to 3 million won (about $2,700).
UK ：from January 2019
In January, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that she would spare no effort to completely ban plastic bags, in addition to levying taxes on various plastic products, increasing research and development of alternative materials, and planning to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042, including plastic bags, beverage bottles, straws and most food packaging bags.
In addition to the government, the Queen of England has also expressed her strong determination to ban plastic straws and plastic bottles on all royal territories.
the U.S. state of New York ：from January 2019
According to the American “Overseas Chinese Daily” reported on January 15, New York Governor Gulmot plans to implement a plastic bag ban in the whole state, in order to implement environmental protection policies, Gu Mo will include the plastic bag ban into the 2019 administrative budget, he pointed out, “Banning plastic bags and promoting recycling bold actions will reduce the garbage in our community, protect our water sources, and create a cleaner and greener New York for all.”
Recently, Hoboken has begun to impose a ban on plastic bags, and supermarkets such as Shoprite sell 10 cents a plastic bag.
Chile ：from February 3, 2019
On August 3, 2018, Chile officially promulgated the “Plastic Ban Law”, which prohibits all supermarkets and shops in the country from providing plastic bags to customers. Chile thus became the first country in Latin America to completely ban merchants from providing plastic bags to shoppers.
The “Plastic Ban Law” stipulates that from February 3, 2019, all large supermarkets and shopping malls will no longer be allowed to provide shoppers with free or charged plastic bags, and a maximum fine of US$370 will be imposed on each plastic bag provided in violation of the law; from August 3, 2020, Chile will completely “ban plastic bags”.
New Zealand ：from 1 July 2019
From July 1 this year, regardless of the size of supermarkets, including clothing stores, dairy stores, and other retail industries, disposable plastic shopping bags will be completely banned;
The Ministry of Environmental Protection has issued documents confirming that the maximum fine for those who violate the rules is serious and the persuasion is ineffective is 100,000 New Zealand dollars!
France： from 2020
On July 12, France’s European Times reported that a resolution recently voted by the Paris City Council stipulated that from September onwards, major municipal public institutions such as schools, nursing homes, stadiums, and museums will gradually ban the use of plastic straws.
France has banned single-use plastic bags with a thickness of fewer than 50 microns since 2016. In addition, the French government will begin to completely ban single-use tableware in pure plastic in 2020 and will be replaced by biodegradable bags and compostable bags.
Eu member states： from 2021
Science and Technology Daily Berlin, October 24, 2018 (Reporter Gu Gang) The European Parliament voted on the 24th to approve the ban on the use of disposable plastic products from 2021 to curb the increasingly serious pollution of plastic waste to the ocean and ecological environment.
According to the proposal, from 2021, the EU will ban the production and sale of disposable plastic products such as disposable tableware, cotton swabs, straws, etc., which will be replaced by paper, straw or reusable hard plastic.
Plastic bottles will be collected separately according to existing recycling models, and by 2025, the recycling rate of single-use plastic bottles in the Member States will be required to reach 90%.
India will be implemented from 2022
On June 5, World Environment Day, India’s prime minister announced plans to eliminate all single-use plastic products by 2022.
The “plastic restriction order” in Maharashtra, India’s second-most populous state, came into effect on June 23.
CNN said that after the plastic restriction order came into effect, ombudsmen began to appear frequently on the streets of the city, mercilessly issuing fines to illegal businesses. On June 24, more than 80 merchants were fined up to Rs 400,000 in Mumbai, the state’s capital alone.
It will be implemented in Iceland from 2021
Icelandic Environment Minister Guemundur Inigi Guebrandsson has introduced a new bill in the Icelandic parliament that will ban the use of plastic bags until 2021, according to the Icelandic Review on January 31. If the bill passes, businesses will not be allowed to provide plastic bags to customers for free. By 2021, businesses will not be allowed to distribute any plastic bags, whether free or paid.
Merchants can still sell plastic bags on store shelves, but selling plastic bags at checkout points is prohibited.
The bill stipulates that from the beginning of 2020, individuals will use no more than 90 plastic bags per year on average, and no more than 40 from 2026 onwards.
The proposed bill is stricter than the EU directive on reducing the use of plastic bags. The EU allows countries to exempt the thinnest plastic bags from the ban, while Iceland does not.
It will be implemented in Hobart, Australia from March 2019
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Hobart became the first city in Australia to ban the use of single-use plastics. Businesses that use single-use plastics can be fined up to $1,300, a policy that local residents strongly endorse and support.
Starting today, Hobart will gradually ban single-use plastics, mp Ben Harvey passed the charter and made amendments, and the fine will take effect in December 2020 to give businesses time to adjust.
And this clause is not only for plastic straws, any petroleum-based plastic containers, such as disposable cups, straws, tableware, sauce packaging, are prohibited.
Sales in Brazil are over-completed
The first round of voting by the city council of S?o Paulo, Brazil, passed a new proposal to ban the supply of plastic straws in the city.
The decree stipulates that the municipality of São Paulo prohibits the supply of plastic straws in hotels, restaurants, bars and bakeries, as well as in nightclubs, dance halls and various concert venues. Merchants can choose to supply recycled paper straws, edible straws or biodegradable straws, all of which need to be individually packaged and use bags of the same material.
Merchants will receive a government warning the first time they violate the rules, the second fine of 1,000 black Olympics, a third time a doubling of the fine, and so on. If the number of violations by the merchant reaches more than six times, in addition to the administrative closure, the government will also impose a fine of 8,000 black.
In addition, the São Paulo state legislature has also received a proposal to ban the supply of plastic straws statewide. The proposal provides for fines ranging from 500 to 5,000 for violators of the decree, subject to a unanimous vote after discussion among members of Parliament and final decision by the governor.
According to statistics, the supply of plastic straws has been banned in 6 coastal cities in the state, including Santos, Guarujá, Ilhabela, Ubatuba, Sebasti and Caraguatatuba.
