HAIKOU, September 21. /TASS/. The Hainan administration and six major online retailers in the region signed agreements to ban non-biodegradable plastics from the island, reported www.hinews.cn. 

According to the media outlet, they signed these documents with the provincial Department of Commerce. "Hainan was the first province in the country to introduce a complete regional ban on biodegradable plastic," said head of the department's market branch Li Zhiping. "The inclusion of e-commerce businesses in regulatory mechanisms in this field is a further step in this direction," he added.

According to the news outlet, the relevant requirements to ban the sale of some of the plastic products were sent to Internet platforms back in April. During this time, the companies have developed internal rules to restrict the sale of prohibited types of plastics to customers on the Island of Hainan.

According to the report, the two largest companies in this area in China JD.com and Alibaba are among the Internet platforms that have joined this initiative.

Since December 2020, Hainan has banned the use of disposable shopping bags, trash bags, and plastic cutlery. By the end of 2025, the province will completely ban the production, sale and use of all plastic products that cannot be recycled.

Since September 1, 2021, Hainan has expanded the list of prohibited plastic products to include household plastic materials that come into contact with food. Now the island residents will not be able to use plastic bags for packaging and maintaining the freshness of food. The ban applies to films and bags made of materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, ethylene vinyl acetate and polyethylene terephthalate.