Ban the Export of Plastic Waste!

Plastic waste is a burden to the world.

According to a United Nations report, as many as 5 trillion plastic bags are used globally every year. And only 9% of the world's 9 billion tons of plastic products can be recycled, and most of the rest end up in landfills or into the natural environment. Difficult-to-degrade and low-recycling plastic waste imposes a heavy burden on the environment and economic development.

In South Korea

According to statistics, South Korea generates about 70,000 tons of marine debris every year, of which the proportion of plastic waste is astounding. According to 2019 data, plastic waste accounts for as high as 81.2% of all marine debris, and is the number one cause of the death of many marine life. Data from the Korean Ministry of Environment shows that the recycling rate of plastic products in South Korea in 2017 was only 34.4%. South Korean environmental protection experts have analyzed that after the recycled plastic waste is transferred to the processing agency, it cannot be reused due to some contamination with foreign objects and reduced quality, and it can only be destroyed.

In Australia

As a country surrounded by seas, plastic waste seriously threatens Australia's marine environment. According to the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water Resources and the Environment, about 80% of marine litter is currently plastic. It is estimated that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. Furthermore, the amount of plastic waste that people create in their daily lives is staggering. Australians use up to 10 million plastic bags every day, up to 4 billion each year. About 150 million will eventually end up in oceans and waterways, dumping as much as 8 million tons of plastic into the sea each year. Data released by Australia's environment department shows that only 14% of the country's plastic waste is recycled every year, of which only 3% of plastic bags are recycled.

In Germany

According to statistics from the Statista website, in 2018, Germany produced about 19 million tons of plastic products, accounting for about one-third of the total plastic products in the EU. Germans produce an average of around 39kg of plastic waste each year, far exceeding the EU average of 33kg.

In UK

About 700,000 plastic bottles end up in the trash every day. Just 57% of the 30 billion plastic bottles used in UK households every year are recycled. According to the latest figures for 2019, more than 370,000 tonnes of plastic can be recycled each year in the UK. Although recycling volumes have grown significantly from just 13,000 tonnes in 2000, most plastics end up in landfills or incineration.

Actively responding to plastic pollution is related to global ecological protection and the high-quality economic development of various countries. Faced with the problem of plastic pollution, governments around the world have introduced relevant policies to increase the collection and disposal of recyclable plastic waste.

1. On December 22, 2020, the EU Executive Committee announced that it will ban the export of hazardous plastic waste (including difficult-to-recycle plastics) to countries other than member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The embargo is one of the EU's regulations and measures to further strengthen the import and export of plastic waste. Under the new rules, plastic waste imports and exports from the EU to OECD countries will also be more stringent from January 1, 2021.

2.From 2021, Australia permanently banned waste exports such as waste paper. Australian MP Trevor Evans recently revealed on social media that the Australian House of Representatives has passed the Recycling And Waste Reduction Bill 2020 (Recycling And Waste Reduction Bill 2020). This would prohibit Australia from exporting 40,000 containers of waste overseas each year.

3. According to Xinhua News Agency, a Thai Ministry of Defense official said a few days ago that Thailand has banned the import of 422 types of electronic waste and decided to completely ban the import of plastic waste from abroad starting in 2021.

4. Japan restricts the export of plastic waste. In October 2020, the Ministry of the Environment of Japan issued specific standards for the control objects, including (1) food residues, oil stains, and sludge attached, (2) no cutting and crushing treatment, etc. If these plastic wastes have not obtained the consent of the other country, they will be unable to export.

5. South Korea prohibits the import of plastic waste. According to Korean media reports, the South Korean Ministry of Environment said that from 2022, the import of plastic waste from overseas will be completely banned; by 2030, all companies will completely ban the use of single-use plastic bags.

The participation of enterprises and individuals promotes the progress of plastic pollution control.

The control of plastic pollution is inseparable from the adjustment of the development direction of enterprises. Winner PurCotton, as a company with a strong sense of social responsibility, develops products with cotton as the main raw material. As a renewable and degradable natural fiber, cotton is very friendly to the environment and climate. Cotton tissue and wet wipes series, as the main products of Winner PurCotton, do not contain any plastic and chemical fiber ingredients. With the continuous advancement of national policies in various countries, the environmental protection awareness of people in various countries is also constantly improving, and plastic pollution will eventually become a thing of the past.