世界关注中国禁用塑料袋

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中国国务院办公厅年初发出通知，称购物袋已成为“白色污染”的主要来源，今后各地应禁止生产、销售、使用超薄塑料购物袋，并将实行塑料购物袋有偿使用制度。自2008年6月1日起，在所有超市、商场、集贸市场等商品零售场所实行塑料购物袋有偿使用制度，一律不得免费提供塑料购物袋。

塑料购物袋与人们的日常生活休戚相关，它为消费者提供便利的同时，由于过量使用及回收处理不到位等原因，也造成了严重的能源资源浪费和环境污染。特别是超薄塑料购物袋容易破损，大多被随意丢弃，成为主要的“白色污染”源。

目前环保已成为全世界高唱的主旋律，中国这次无疑体现了大国风范和责任感。问题是，塑料袋引发的环境问题绝非一朝一夕可以解决，之前也有不少国家做过类似尝试，这当中有成功的经验，也有失败的教训。全世界都迫不及待地想知道，中国能为世界的环保事业添上成功的一笔吗？

There is an old Chinese expression: if you want to correct something that others do, you should first correct it yourself. It’s an expression the Chinese government can claim it is following in its efforts to tackle one of the country’s most significant litter problems: the plastic bag.

The issue of 1)flimsy plastic bags may seem trivial on the list of environmental challenges facing one of the world’s emerging superpowers, but its 2)ramifications are more than 3)aesthetic. Discarded plastic bags disrupt waterways, 4)clog 5)sewers, and 6)choke soil. So, as one of its new year’s resolutions, China has pledged to ban the use of free and flimsy plastic bags by introducing levies. 7)As of June this year, plastic bags must be paid for, and they will be banned from all public transport, airports and scenic places.

Plastic is fantastic. It’s 8)versatile, durable, waterproof, convenient and very, very cheap. But with all the benefits of plastic bags comes a long list of 9)nagging problems, and the most problematic of all is their 10)sheer persistence. Depending on the thickness, plastic bags take between 20 and 1,000 years to break down in the environment. They release toxic gases when they burn; they create 11)stagnant pools which can become a

12)breeding ground for 13)malarial mosquitoes; and they 14)suffocate or disrupt the indigestion of animals that accidentally consume them.

So, how easy is it to re-gulate a 15)blanket ban on something so 16)integral―yet so destructive―to modern living? And does it work? In Europe, good waste management has meant that the 17)menace of the plastic bag has not been unleashed as it has in the developing world. China’s situation is perhaps better reflected by experiences on the continent of Africa.

In South Africa, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a ban is already working. Before action was taken to 18)curb the problem, consumers in South Africa went through 8 billion plastic bags a year. The problem was so bad that plastic bags became known as the “new national flower”, competing with the 19)protea―the true national flower―for the 20)limelight. South Africa’s answer was to ban the manufacture, trade and commercial distribution of plastic bags with a thickness of less than 30 21)microns (0.03mm). Anything below 30 microns can blow away in even a light wind, and cannot be easily recycled. Increasing the thickness of plastic bags has been found to have a positive impact on littering. A levy is in place, and the penalties for non-22)compliance are tough: fines and even imprisonment. Before regulation in South Africa, the cost of producing, delivering and distributing plastic bags was hidden in food prices, so even if customers did not want a bag, they would pay for it. Now they can make the choice―and UNEP reports that consumers have benefited from lower food prices as a result.

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But bans have not been so successful everywhere. In Bangladesh, serious and repeated flooding, which resulted in major loss of life, was reportedly linked to 23)drain 24)blockages caused by plastic bags. The floods prompted the government to impose a ban on the sale and use of 25)polythene bags in the capital city, Dhaka, in 2002. But no results are available on its success, suggesting there has been little evidence of a positive outcome on the streets. In Kenya, roughly 82% of plastic bags used each year end up on the streets or in the 26)sewage system. No outright ban has been considered, and even levies have been opposed by those who say it will kill an industry that supports thousands of people. In Somaliland, regardless of a ban prohibiting the importation, production and use of plastic bags since March 2005, a UNEP report suggests that both importation and local production continue.

Yet even when there are alternatives such as paper bags or boxes available, consumers conti-nue to opt for the plastic bag. It seems that we are addicted. It remains to be seen whether China can 27)kick the habit, or find a truly fantastic―and 28)biodegradable―plastic bag.

中国有句古话：以身作则（若想纠正别人的错误，必须从自身做起）。这正是目前对中国政府的写照――中国正全力着手解决这个国家最棘手的垃圾问题之一：塑料袋。

作为正在兴起的超级强国之一，中国面临着一系列环境问题，轻薄如翼的塑料袋看似微不足道，但是由它引发的可不仅仅是美观问题：废弃的塑料袋堵塞排水管和下水道，还污染土壤。因此，中国今年的新年决心之一就是通过征税来禁止超薄塑料袋的免费使用。从今年六月一日开始，人们用塑料袋要付钱，在所有的公共交通工具、机场和风景区，塑料袋都将被全面禁止。

塑料袋是个神奇的东西――多用途、耐用、防水、方便，而且非常非常便宜。但伴随着塑料袋这种种好处而来的是诸多令人头痛的问题，其中最突出的就是它的耐分解性。取决于厚度的不同，塑料袋要花20年到1000年不等的时间才能在环境中分解。它们燃烧时会释放出有毒气体；堆积时会形成死水潭，那会成为传播疟疾的蚊子的繁殖温床；误食了塑料袋的动物也难免会消化功能失常。

那么，要下令全面禁止与我们的现代生活如此紧密相关却又具有极大破坏力的塑料袋，究竟会有多大难度呢？禁令会有效吗？在欧洲，完善的垃圾管理制度意味着塑料袋的危害能得到控制，而在发展中国家却不同。非洲大陆的经验也许能更好地反映中国所面临的挑战。

根据联合国环境规划署提供的资料，塑料袋禁令在南非很有成效。南非政府采取措施解决问题之前，南非的消费者每年消耗的塑料袋达80亿个。塑料袋问题如此严重，以至于它一度成为能与真正的国花山龙眼抢镜头的“新国花”，成为令人瞩目的焦点。南非采取的措施是禁止制造业、贸易以及商业部门使用厚度小于0.03毫米的塑料袋。任何厚度小于0.03毫米的物体都很容易随轻风飘走，并且不容易被回收利用。实践证明，增加塑料袋的厚度对垃圾处理有益处。同时，南非还对塑料袋的使用进行征税，而且违反禁令受到的处罚是相当严厉的，会导致罚款甚至入狱。南非采取这些措施之前，生产、运输和分发塑料袋的成本是隐含在食物价格里面的，因此消费者即使不想要塑料袋，他们也得为之付费。现在他们可以作出自己的选择。联合国环境规划署的报告指出，禁令执行后，食物价格有所下降，消费者成为受益者。

但禁令并非在任何国家都取得成功。在孟加拉国，凶猛频繁的洪涝灾害导致大量人口死亡，有报道指出，洪灾的起因之一就是塑料袋堵塞了下水道。2002年，洪水灾害使政府下决心颁布禁令，禁止聚乙烯袋在该国首都达卡的出售和使用。但没有资料说明此举的成效，结果似乎并不理想。在肯尼亚，每年有大约82%的塑料袋最终都落到大街上或是下水道中。政府从未考虑出台严厉的禁令，就连征税的提议也遭到部分人的反对，他们声称此举会扼杀一个养着数千人的行业。在东非的索马里兰地区，政府已从2005年3月开始就禁止塑料袋的进口、生产和使用。尽管如此，联合国环境规划署的一份报告指出，当地人们依然进口并在当地生产塑料袋。

虽然纸袋、纸盒等塑料袋的替代物已经出现，但消费者依然偏向于使用塑料袋。看来我们已经对塑料袋产生了依赖心理。中国能否彻底摆脱塑料袋，或者是发明一种真正神奇的、能进行生物递降分解的环保塑料袋，全世界都在拭目以待。

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