New regulations banning "foreign garbage" from entering the country will be implemented to reduce the burden of ecological environment and improve the quality of economic development

Since February, starbucks has raised prices at 20 to 25 stores in central London by 5 pence per cup of coffee. This is not a normal price-fixing by businesses, but a response to a house of Commons proposal to use tax policies to improve Britain's recycling and reprocessing industries.

British parliament house environmental monitoring committee in a report in January 2018, by 2023, if the disposable coffee cup or he can't completely recycling, should be banned. Britain, which has long relied on China for its ability to dispose of its rubbish, is starting to look overwhelmed, and is in a hurry to take steps to curb the flow of rubbish at its source. This is the "butterfly effect" caused by China's ban on the import of "solid waste" in January 2018.

In July last year, the general office of the state council issued the implementation plan on the implementation of the reform of the solid waste import management system by prohibiting the entry of foreign waste, calling for a total ban on the entry of foreign waste. In January this year, China formally implemented a new ban on the import of foreign garbage, stopping the import of 24 types of foreign garbage, including waste plastics, unclassified waste paper and waste textile materials. By the end of 2019, the import of solid waste that domestic resources can replace will be phased out.

In just a few months, the "garbage crisis" has repeatedly made headlines in the United States, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Australia and other countries. There is no doubt that China, entering the stage of high-quality development, is no longer the "waste treatment plant" of western developed countries.

Western countries are worried about rubbish

A history of global waste flows is also a history of world economic change. China's economy has changed from a stage of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development.

In the past, because of much importance to economic development contempt for environmental protection, pay attention to immediate interests, ignoring the long-term interests at the same time, the whole process of import of solid waste and recycling enterprise weak regulatory loopholes and more, lead to serious problems of the "foreign garbage" smuggling, imports solid waste with "foreign garbage" phenomenon often occurred. Since the ban on imports of "solid waste" was introduced, the problem of "foreign waste" smuggling has been greatly alleviated, and China's increasingly tough attitude towards imports of solid waste has made western countries anxious.

Tsinghua university, professor, school of environment, solid waste treatment and environmental safety, deputy director of key laboratory of the ministry of education, liu said, more than three-quarters of the import of solid waste in China for waste paper, waste plastics. According to the statistics of China renewable resources recycling and utilization association, China's import volume of waste paper and plastics in 2016 reached about 28.5 million tons and 7.35 million tons respectively. The ban came into effect in January 2018, with countries that are more dependent on China taking the lead.

'France, Germany, Australia, South Korea and other countries have also been greatly affected,' Mr. Liu said.

Domestic solid waste recovery has attracted attention

Does the imposition of a ban on "solid waste" and the elimination of large-scale imports of solid waste from abroad mean that the resources that our country needs from imported solid waste have become self-sufficient? The ban has aroused public concern and discussion about the utilization rate of solid waste recycling in China.

"To be specific, we must not generalize." Liu said, for wastepaper for example, at present, China's imports of the biggest is waste paper, and the short term might not be able to substitute, which is why good sorting, standard of waste paper is still allowed to import.

But in general, China's solid waste reutilization rate is still relatively optimistic. It is known that waste paper and plastics are the key types of garbage classification in China. China's per capita consumption and waste of paper and plastics is far lower than that of developed countries, only about a quarter of that of the United States. In 2016, the amount of waste paper and plastics recycled by China's renewable resource recycling industry reached 49.63 million tons and 18.78 million tons respectively.

"Considering the per capita consumption of paper and plastic is far lower than the developed countries, and relatively low in the consumption structure of paper and plastic is large, suitable for recycling of waste paper, waste plastics recycling in our country has in fact more than many developed countries, life garbage disposal facilities in our country is far lower than the content of waste paper, waste plastics in developed countries is the strong evidence." "Said liu.

Will the ban continue to increase the current recycling rate of solid waste? Liu jianguo said that the ban on "solid waste" will inevitably increase the utilization rate of domestic solid waste and solve the outlet problem of domestic solid waste if domestic enterprises want to develop. On the other hand, under the effect of market mechanism, the recycling of solid waste will pay more attention to quality, thus will be reversed transmission front do recycling companies, including the initial garbage classification, the accuracy of the classification, classification efficiency will be improved. The government will also take measures to actively guide this process. In the long run, the utilization rate of China's "solid waste" will be improved.

The ban will have far-reaching consequences

In addition to improving the reuse rate of domestic solid waste, the ban on "solid waste" has a comprehensive and three-dimensional impact on China. Liu said that in the short term, ban great influence to the enterprises engaged in import and export of solid waste, the enterprise is facing the present situation of the resources integration, this might be a bit in the process of enterprise business will be turned to domestic market, solid waste and higher technical level, high sense of social responsibility of the solid waste enterprise in the process will realize the transformation and upgrading, more intelligent and professional.

In addition to solid waste enterprises, the ban will be beneficial to China's economic development and environmental protection in the long run. Liu jianguo believes that the solid waste export in developed countries can form a huge industry mainly because of its strict garbage classification system. In turn, the export-oriented solid waste classification has led to the continuous improvement of the proportion and effect of waste paper and plastics. The ban on "solid waste" in 2018 will indirectly affect China's garbage classification, thus prompting China to form a strict garbage classification system.

Liu jianguo believes that the ban on "solid waste" in 2018 will not only change the ecological pattern of the world, but also have a profound impact on China's garbage classification and even the country's economic development and environmental protection.