A plastics ban is soon coming to Sansha City, in China’s southern island province of Hainan, to address the pollution concerns to our oceans and lands. Residents there have already been getting accustomed to using biodegradable plastics as a way to phase into the total ban. And as this next report explains, Sansha is ready to do away with plastics.
Nowadays, people’s lives are almost inseparable from plastic products, but these products continue to damage the ecological environment, particularly in the oceans. According to incomplete statistics, 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into seas every year in the world, causing an estimated 150 million tons of plastics to accumulate in the oceans. In Sansha, as an island city, in order to protect the marine ecological environment, a ban on plastics is an urgent priority. And the public there is actively responding to the call. In the supermarket there, our reporter found that all the environmentally-unfriendly shopping bags have been replaced with fully biodegradable bags. Tableware, straws, etc. have also been changed to biodegradable paper products.
LI ZHIYONG Director of Sansha Supermarket “Our city has long been advocating the use of biodegradable shopping bags and garbage bags. So in our supermarket, the previously non-biodegradable disposable products were removed from the shelves and replaced by biodegradable ones. This is convenient for the residents and definitely of benefit for environmental protection.”
The general public in Sansha have gradually realized the benefits and given their buy-in to garbage sorting and “plastic banning”.
A reporter in Yongxing Community found that the residents have taken on board the harm caused by the abuse of plastic products. In order to protect the clear sky, pure clouds, and limpid sea of Sansha, they are ready to embrace a plastic ban.
CHEN WEIXING Sansha resident “We are aware of this. We’ve already started to use biodegradable plastic bags, which can help reduce pollution of the ocean, land, or air. We are very supportive of a plastic ban, because this is a move to protect our island and seas!”
ZHANG WEIYUN Sansha resident “Nowadays, people everywhere are advocating the use of biodegradable plastic bags and garbage sorting. We will try our utmost to take care of the environment.”
FU CEHAI Sansha resident “After all, biodegradable products will not have any impact on our land, soil or air environment. Non-degradable (plastic bags), even if buried in the ground for decades, will remain a source of pollution; so I prefer to use biodegradable plastic bags.”
GUAN CHAO, CGTN.