How To Understand That The "Era Of Plastic Recycling" Has Arrived?

In recent years, many countries have successively implemented "plastic ban order" or "plastic restriction order" in varies degrees. But we can't ban all plastic products simply and violently. In that case, mobile phones, cars and important medical devices in people's daily life will no longer exist.

It is far from enough for the plastics we produce to complete the cycle only by improving the collection and classification facilities. While building infrastructure, we need to solve the problem from the source - first, prevent plastic from turning into waste, let plastic recycle, and make every kilogram of plastic recyclable.

Plastic is light, cheap and durable, and has penetrated into every corner of people's lives, making this society irresistible. If we say goodbye to plastic, we will say goodbye to modern life completely.

From the market side, the plastic production is huge and still growing.

According to the data released by the European Plastic Manufacturers Association, the global plastic production and consumption will continue to grow. In 2020, the output will reach 367 million tons and the per capita consumption will reach 46 kg.  It is estimated that by 2050, plastic production will reach 1.1 billion tons.

Faced with such a huge plastic product, have we recycled it?

In general, the global plastic recovery rate is only about 7%. Due to the inconsistent channel data of recycled plastics, the statistical caliber may be different.

In Europe, the recovery ratio is 15% - 25%; In the United States, this proportion is 5% lower; In China, because there is a huge army of scavengers, the proportion of recycling is 40%.

This time, China launched the largest national action to deal with plastic pollutants in human history with the strength of the country.

Recently, the national development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of ecological environment jointly issued the "key points of plastic pollution control in 2022", and put forward eight major tasks for plastic pollution control:

The action of reducing plastic products at the source, the action of standardized recycling and disposal of plastic waste, the action of waste plastic recycling, the action of "cleaning and bleaching" in rivers, lakes and seas, the action of agricultural film and pesticide packaging treatment, the action of leading and demonstration by public institutions, the action of supervision in key areas, and the action of publicity and guidance.

The above phenomena show that mankind has entered the "plastic cycle era". Only by changing the current linear thinking of the plastic industry, making the plastic cycle, and making the industrial chain form a closed loop, can the above problems be fundamentally solved.

It can be said that the problems brought by plastics are very serious, but at this stage, the development of the world economy cannot be separated from plastics. We should still adhere to the 3R principle as a feasible solution, that is, reduce, reuse, recycle, reduce the use of front-end as much as possible, recycle plastic, enter the "plastic recycling era" as soon as possible, and form a large closed loop of the plastic recycling industry chain.

The plastic recycling branch of China synthetic resin supply and Marketing Association believes that: first, in this era, every kilogram of plastic we produce and consume should be recorded and cannot flow into the environment; Plastic waste produced by consumers every time they consume must also be sent to the recycling system. This is the most important feature of mankind entering the "plastic cycle era".

For example: shampoo bottles, mineral water bottles, oil cans or chemical barrels, these plastic packages can and should be monitored. As for some categories that cannot be monitored, such as films, plastic bags in supermarkets, disposable plastics on cigarette boxes, etc., they can be measured by weight.

In a word, it is urgent to send plastic back to the recycling system. If human beings want to truly enter the "plastic cycle era", they can't just remember it by mouth, but the body doesn't act.

Everyone has the right to use plastic, and the state cannot prohibit the use of plastic in the market. Our requirement for the market is that after use, it can be measured and proved to enter the plastic recycling system.

This is the digitalization of the plastic recycling industry, which is also in line with the characteristics of blockchain technology, which is currently booming. Those plastic products that cannot be digitized, traced and recycled should be banned.

Another feature of this era is that the flow direction of all plastics should be measured and traced, and recycled materials will become cheaper and more.

In the "plastic recycling era", new materials and recycled materials are equally important materials, because human beings cannot expand production capacity to produce new materials without restraint. Recycled materials are mandatory as the main materials. Every plastic product must contain recycled materials, and even enter the food field. The means of production will be redefined.