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what is environmentally friendly plastic bags?
Environmentally friendly plastic bags are short for various types of biodegradable plastic bags. With the development of technology, various materials that can replace traditional PE plastics appear, including PLA, PHAs, PBA, PBS and other polymer materials. Can replace traditional PE plastic bags. Eco-friendly plastic bags are currently widely used: supermarket shopping bags, roll-to-roll fresh-keeping bags, mulching film, etc. have been widely used in China.
Basic introduction
The "Plastic Restriction Order" that came into effect on June 1, 2008 clearly stipulates that shopping malls, supermarkets and bazaars shall not provide free plastic shopping bags, and prohibit the use of plastic shopping bags with a thickness of less than 0.025 mm. After the "plastic limit order" was implemented, certain results have been achieved, which has promoted the development of the environmentally friendly plastic bag industry to a certain extent.
Environmental plastic bags refer to:
1. Environmental protection plastic bags include recycled plastic bags and new plastic bags. The plastic bag added with the degradable masterbatch in the production of plastic bags is called degradable plastic bag. After 90 days, the degraded plastic bag can automatically decompose under certain conditions. Bags made of plastic film are collectively referred to as plastic bags. The commonly used plastic bags are: convenience bags, supermarket bags, handbags, flat bags, plastic bags, vest belts and industrial packaging bags.
2. A plastic bag that can melt quickly when exposed to sunlight. Tested by the National Environmental Protection Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, all indicators of the product meet or exceed the national quality standards. It is hygienic, non-toxic, and non-polluting. It is currently one of the most advanced environmentally friendly products in China. This kind of degradable plastic bag is produced by using non-toxic polyolefin resin and adding degrading agent and other raw materials. Its advent brings hope for reducing or eliminating white pollution.
3. Plastic bags that can be recycled after being used up
The origin of plastic bags
Plastic bags were first invented in 1902 by a European factory owner. Because of its convenience, ease of use and low price, it is almost everywhere. Since the birth of the plastic bag, it is destined to be a "disposable" consumable.
Composition
Generally speaking, there are no completely environmentally friendly plastic bags. Only some plastic bags can be easily degraded after adding some ingredients. That is, biodegradable plastic. Add a certain amount of additives (such as starch, modified starch or other cellulose, photosensitizers, biodegradants, etc.) in the production process of plastic packaging products to reduce the stability of plastic packaging and make it easier to degrade in the natural environment . There are 19 units that develop or produce biodegradable plastics in Beijing. Tests have shown that most degradable plastics begin to become thinner, lose weight, and lose strength after being exposed to the general environment for 3 months, and gradually break into pieces. If these fragments are buried in garbage or soil, the degradation effect is not obvious. There are four shortcomings in the use of degradable plastics: one is to consume more food; the other is that the use of degradable plastic products still cannot completely eliminate "visual pollution"; the third is that due to technical reasons, the use of degradable plastic products cannot completely solve the environmental impact "Potential hazards"; fourth, degradable plastics are difficult to recycle because they contain special additives.
In fact, the most environmentally friendly thing is to use plastic bags or fixed plastic bags to reduce the amount of use. At the same time, it can be recycled by the government to reduce environmental pollution.
Decomposition time
The current environmentally friendly decomposition is relatively quick, and may decompose within a year. There are also faster, the Olympic environmental protection plastic bags can be decomposed 72 days after being discarded.
The hazards of plastic bags
Plastic bags have indeed brought convenience to our lives, but the convenience at this time has brought long-term harm. Plastic bags have low recycling value. In the process of use, they are scattered in city streets, tourist areas, water bodies, roads and railways. In addition to the "visual pollution" pollution caused by the side, it also has potential hazards. The plastic has a stable structure, is not easily degraded by natural microorganisms, and does not separate in the natural environment for a long time. This means that if waste plastic waste is not recycled, it will become a pollutant in the environment that will permanently exist and continue to accumulate, which will cause great harm to the environment. First, it affects agricultural development. The continuous accumulation of waste plastic products mixed in the soil will affect the absorption of nutrients and water by crops, resulting in reduced crop yields. Second, it poses a threat to the survival of animals. Waste plastic products discarded on land or in water bodies are swallowed as food by animals, leading to their deaths. Nearly a thousand sheep in 20 herders on the banks of Qinghai Lake died as a result, and the economic loss was about 300,000 yuan. Sheep like to eat the oily residue wrapped in plastic bags, but they often eat them together with the plastic bags. Because the plastic they eat stays in the stomach for a long time and is difficult to digest, the stomachs of these sheep are packed and can no longer eat. Things can only be starved to death in the end. Such things are not uncommon in zoos, pastoral areas, rural areas, and the ocean. Third, landfilling waste plastics will not only occupy a large amount of land, but the occupied land will not be restored for a long time, which will affect the sustainable use of land. If the waste plastic products that enter the domestic garbage are buried, they will not be degraded for 200 years. It is extremely harmful to the land, changing its pH, affecting the absorption of nutrients and water by crops, resulting in reduced agricultural production. As for plastic products discarded in water or on land, not only affect the environment, but also cause death if swallowed by animals. This destroys the ecological balance. Fourth, high temperature will decompose toxic substances. Plastic products are non-toxic, but because its recycling equipment is not perfect, the technology is simple, and many manufacturers do not have legal business licenses, the temperature of the reproduced plastic products reaches 65°C. At this time, toxic substances will separate out and penetrate into food, which will cause harm to important parts of the human body such as liver, kidney, reproductive system and central nervous system. Not long ago, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Notice on Restricting the Production and Sale of Plastic Shopping Bags" to the people's governments of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, various ministries and commissions of the State Council, and various agencies directly under the State Council. The notice pointed out: In view of the fact that shopping bags have become the main source of "white pollution", people's governments, ministries and commissions in various places should prohibit the production, sale, and use of ultra-thin plastic shopping bags, and a paid use system for plastic shopping bags will be implemented. Since June 1, 2008, all supermarkets, shopping malls, bazaars and other retail places have implemented a paid use system for plastic shopping bags, and plastic shopping bags are not allowed to be provided for free. Plastic bags play an indispensable role in our lives, and our country consumes a large amount of plastic bags every year. In our country, 1 billion plastic bags are used every day to buy vegetables, and the consumption of other plastic bags is more than 2 billion every day. It has long been a habit in our lives that plastic bags provided by merchants when shopping in supermarkets and bazaars. However, while plastic bags provide convenience to consumers, they also cause serious waste of energy and resources and environmental pollution due to excessive use and difficulty in recycling. Especially the ultra-thin plastic bags are easy to break, and the people of our country have weak environmental awareness. Most of them are randomly discarded after use. They are scattered on city streets, tourist areas, water bodies, and on both sides of roads and railways, causing "visual pollution" and becoming The main source of "white pollution". More and more countries and regions have restricted the production, sale and use of plastic shopping bags. As soon as our country’s plastic restriction order came out, it meant that our living habits would inevitably change, and we would return to the life of carrying a basket to buy vegetables. Therefore, a lot of opinions and speeches have been triggered. Some of them may be accustomed to the convenience brought by plastic bags in life, ignoring the harm it causes and oppose it. The plastic bag was invented by Austrian scientist Max Schuschny on October 24, 1902. This kind of packaging is both light and strong, which is very popular among customers and merchants. Therefore, shops and food markets have provided free plastic bags. But this invention brought us serious environmental problems 100 years later. Because plastic bags are mostly produced with non-renewable degradable materials, the plastic structure is stable, not easily degraded by natural microorganisms, and does not separate in the natural environment for a long time. Disposal of these white garbage can only be digging landfill or high-temperature incineration. Both of these methods are not conducive to environmental protection. The landfill of waste plastics will not only take up a lot of land, but the occupied land will not be restored for a long time. The plastic bags buried in the ground will take more than 200 years to rot, which is extremely harmful to the land and will change the pH of the land. , Which seriously pollutes the soil, affects the absorption of nutrients and water by crops, reduces agricultural production, and affects the sustainable use of land. The harmful smoke and toxic gases produced by incineration will also cause pollution to the atmospheric environment. Therefore, plastic bags have become the "worst invention" of mankind in the 20th century. The implementation of the plastic restriction order is to solve or alleviate a series of environmental problems caused by the excessive use of plastic bags. From June 1, 2008, everything will be different. Plastic bags with a thickness of less than 0.025 mm, that is, ultra-thin plastic bags, will be prohibited from being produced, sold, and used. In order to improve the service life of plastic bags, make the people use plastic bags rationally and economically to reduce pollution. All supermarkets, shopping malls, bazaars and other commodity retail places will no longer provide free plastic bags. Consumers are encouraged to pick up cloth bags again, lift vegetable baskets with heavy pay, and reuse durable shopping bags to reduce the use of plastic bags. Environmental protection is not a matter for one person or two people, but for everyone, the country, and future generations. It requires the whole society to act together and participate. We have only one earth. From the perspective of sustainable development, the plastic restriction order will be a measure to benefit future generations. Maybe in the near future, plastic bags will disappear from our lives. It is everyone's responsibility to care for the environment! Let us free ourselves from the confinement of using plastic bags! Plastic bags have low recycling value, and most of them enter the environment for recycling. There are two main hazards to the environment, namely "visual pollution" and " Potential harm". Visual pollution refers to the destruction of city appearance and landscape by waste plastic products scattered in the environment. The waste plastics scattered in big cities, tourist areas, water bodies, and railways bring bad stimuli to people's vision and affect the overall beauty of cities and scenic spots. And it damages the image of our country and people. We call this situation "visual pollution". Visual pollution is the most prominent hazard of "white pollution". The visual pollution of waste plastics and garbage exists in different degrees in cities, tourist areas, water bodies, roads and railways in our country. These waste plastics are scattered on the ground, or hung on branches in the wind, or float on the water surface, polluting The environment, the spread of diseases, and the people reacted strongly to this. Potential hazards refer to long-term deep-seated environmental problems caused by waste plastic products that are difficult to degrade after entering the natural environment. The plastic structure is stable, not easy to be destroyed by natural microorganisms, and will not separate in the natural environment for a long time. This means that if plastic waste is not recycled, it will become a pollutant in the environment and will permanently exist and not accumulate. The hazards in the environment have the following aspects: Affect the development of industrial and agricultural production. The plastic products floating in the Yangtze River bring great difficulties to water sources, cause pumps to evacuate and block, and cause huge losses to industrial production and hydropower stations. For example, the Gezhouba Hydropower Station has shut down and lost 200,000 KW.H of electricity due to the removal of floating plastic waste every day. In the future, after the completion of the Three Gorges Hydropower Station on the Yangtze River, if plastic garbage continues to pollute the water body, the loss of power generation will be unimaginable; such situations are not uncommon in zoos, pastoral areas, rural areas, and the ocean. The waste plastic products that enter the domestic garbage are difficult to recycle. If they are landfilled, they will not be degraded for 200 years, which will lead to long-term occupation of large tracts of land and increase the pressure on land resources. Not only will our generation be surrounded by rubbish, it will also make future generations lose their living space; it will affect the comprehensive utilization of rubbish. Domestic waste mixed with plastic is not suitable for composting, and waste plastics must be separated from the waste, which increases the cost of composting. Contaminated waste plastics cannot guarantee the quality, and their use value is also very low; random discarded plastic waste increases the work intensity and pressure of the environmental sanitation department; plastic waste can also easily carry bacteria and spread diseases.
China Development
The overall scale of China's environmental protection industry is relatively small, and its boundaries and connotations are still being extended and enriched. With the development of China's social economy and the adjustment of industrial structure, the direct contribution of China's environmental protection industry to the national economy will change from small to large, and gradually become an industry that improves the quality of economic operation, promotes economic growth, and raises the economic and technological level. The direction of industry expansion will mainly focus on clean technology, clean products, environmental services, etc. The concept of China's environmental protection industry will also evolve into: "environmental industry" or "green industry".
China's environmental protection industry is expected to maintain an average annual growth rate of 15%-17%. The key areas of environmental protection investment mainly include water environment, atmospheric environment, solid waste, ecological environment, nuclear safety and radiation environmental protection, and environmental capacity building. In 2010, the total annual revenue of the environmental protection industry will reach about 8800-1 trillion yuan, of which the output value of comprehensive utilization of resources is 660 billion yuan, the output value of environmental protection equipment is 120 billion yuan, and the output value of environmental services is 100 billion yuan.
Production equipment
Environmental protection plastic bag production equipment includes plate making equipment, blow molding machine (also known as film blowing machine), plastic printing machine (variety include gravure printing machine, graphic printing machine, roller printing machine, screen printing machine), compound machine, plastic bag making machine Machine (generally divided into two types: cutting and ironing machine, heat cutting machine); environmentally friendly plastic bag production equipment includes: mixing machine, proofing machine, punching machine, punching machine, baler, granulator and granulator.
