Liaoning Bans Non-degradable ProductsStarting July 1, northeast China' s Liaoning Province will ban plastic tableware to cut back on the pollution produced by such non-degradable products.Meanwhile, bio-degradable materials such as paper, plant fiber, and starch are officially recommended to replace plastics for making tableware and degradable plastic bags. About one billion sets of plastic tableware and more than 100, 000 tons of plastic bags are sold in Liaoning annually, accounting for one tenth of the nation's total. These plastic items seriously threaten the local environment, since it will take about 200 years for them to degrade. Environmental problems created by randomly-discarded plastic products are blamed for China's "white pollution" woes. About a dozen Chinese municipalities, provinces and autonomous regions are introducing similar bans on non-degradable products. More than 20 enterprises in Liaoning have passed a review and been authorized to produce bio-degradable tableware and plastic bags. Products from enterprises outside Liaoning are banned from sale in the province without official authorization. |
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