HAIKOU, December 10. /TASS/. China's southern province of Hainan has officially entered the "era of plastic ban" since early December, by abandoning the use of disposable household items made from non-degradable polymeric materials. According to the "Hainan Daily", a biodegradable analogue is coming to replace non-ecological raw materials, the production of which on the island is gradually increasing.
The province has seven fully biodegradable food factories. According to estimates at the end of October, thanks to their joint capacities, Hainan can annually produce 24,800 tonnes of bags and film material, as well as 1,860 tonnes of cutlery. It is planned that the volume of eco-friendly production will be increased, the publication specifies.
"Hainan's work to ban the production, sale and use of single-use, non-degradable plastic products is essential for the protection of the environment and has the value of a case study. The use of fully biodegradable material as one of the alternatives has once again shown Hainan's seriousness and determination in this matter," said Ji Junhui, director of the National Center for Plastics Engineering Research at the Institute of Physics and Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Earlier, the Chinese State Development and Reform Committee together with the Ministry of Environmental Protection decided to gradually limit the use of plastic on Hainan in 2020, 2022 and 2025. Since December 1, 2020, the island has banned non-biodegradable bags, garbage bags, cutlery and other household items. By the end of 2025, the province will completely ban the production, sale and use of all plastic products specified in the list approved by the Chinese government, including agricultural film for mulching.
Hainan pays special attention to environmental protection and pollution control. Four large settlements of the island — Haikou, Sanya, Sansha and Danzhou - have introduced mandatory sorting of household waste since October. This year, the provincial authorities also intend to take a number of measures to protect the environment. Among them are the construction of four waste incineration power plants, the creation of marine stations for environmental monitoring of water conditions, control over carbon dioxide emissions by road transport, the fight against the use of firecrackers and fireworks, as well as the pollution of rivers and lakes in cities and towns.