Packaging and Environment (1)

In recent years, packaging has occupied an important position in the industry. According to incomplete statistics, the world's annual production value of packaging materials accounts for about 1.5-2.3% of the GNP. The packaging industry in developed countries is the ninth or tenth largest industry in China. Since China's reform and opening up, the packaging industry has achieved rapid development. However, due to the constraints of technology, capital, and management, the favorable integration of packaging materials and the environment, the research and implementation of ecological recycling is still at a relatively low level.
First, the contradiction between packaging and the environment Packaging materials due to short life, large use, difficult to decompose after being discarded, solid waste is large and difficult to concentrate, causing serious damage to the urban environment and ecology, so it is the first product to attract public attention. In the United States, 150 million tons of municipal waste is produced each year, of which 1/3 is packaging waste. The annual volume of municipal solid waste in the European Community is about 100 million tons, of which 80 million tons are packaging waste. Japan has about 50 million tons of municipal solid waste per year, including 21 million tons of packaging waste. According to statistics, 70% of China's annual packaging products are discarded after use. According to the packaging production volume in 2000, there will be 15 million tons of packaging waste, and 12kg per capita.
The research on packaging in environmental protection should not only focus on the final destination of the packaging, but should also focus on the impact of various processes throughout the entire life cycle of the packaging on the ecological environment. The impact of the life cycle of the packaging on the ecological environment involves almost every aspect of the atmosphere, water, soil, oceans, and forests. The effects of raw materials used in packaging such as paper, plastics, glass and metal on the environment are obvious to all, and the pollution caused by packaging also has its own particularities. In a commercialized society, as long as there is an area where human activities occur, the packaging is spread along with the products. Therefore, the pollution is widespread, the disposable packaging accounts for a large proportion, the life cycle is short, and the amount of discarded is large; the population is relatively concentrated in the coastal areas and The city has exerted great pressure on the ecological environment of the city. The volume of packaging waste in urban garbage has reached 30% to 40%. At present, China has already had two-thirds of its cities surrounded by garbage.
In 2000, the output of China's plastic products reached 16 million tons, and the packaging plastics accounted for 26%, reaching more than 4 million tons. In some large cities, the proportion of plastic waste in China has reached or exceeded the level of developed countries. Composite products are increasing. Plastic products are difficult to degrade and are not easily recycled.
With the development of economy, changes in consumer attitudes, and the increasing consumption of packaging materials, "white pollution" has emerged and becomes increasingly serious. White pollution mainly refers to the pollution caused by the abandoned plastic packaging used in the environment. The production capacity of plastic lunch boxes in China has exceeded 7 billion, and disposable plastic bags have become necessities of life. In the 1970s, developed countries developed the problem of "white pollution" and began to study countermeasures. In 1997, the State Environmental Protection Administration proposed the prevention and control countermeasures of “pioneering education as the guide, strengthening management as the core, recycling as a means, and product substitution as supplement”. The hazards caused by “white pollution” include: flying on railroads, highways, inland rivers and marine waterways, tourist attractions, city streets, floating on the water, ground, air, and trees, seriously damaging ecological landscapes; plastic packaging products are difficult to degrade, The degradation cycle in nature is about 200-400 years. The dissolution aids in the soil contaminate the soil and groundwater; they enter rivers, lakes, and marine waterways, affect navigation, deteriorate water quality, and affect the normal operation of hydropower stations; and are misunderstood by land or sea animals. Food can cause illness until it dies. About contradiction plastic packaging and the environment, research from the following aspects should be mainly:
1. At present, compared with traditional packaging materials, plastic packaging has low environmental load, excellent performance, and economy, so the social demand for plastic packaging will continue to increase, but it can be considered to minimize the amount of use.
2, plastic packaging, especially disposable plastic packaging materials difficult to degrade and toxic components, such as heavy metal pigments and plasticizers, if not properly handled after the harm to the ecological environment is also beyond doubt. Therefore, we should strengthen comprehensive management, recycling, and develop new types of plastic packaging materials that are harmonized with the environment.
3. Most of the current plastic packaging materials are thermoplastic plastics that can be recycled and recycled, and there are already relatively mature recycling technologies. Therefore, comprehensive measures should be adopted to increase the recycling ratio of recycled plastic packaging materials, increase economic efficiency, and reduce pressure on the environment. (To be continued)