THE end of a
14-year ban on the sale and use
of disposable food containers made of
plastic foam has sparked concerns over
pollution and potential health
risks.
The time was right
for the ban to end, the
National Development and Reform Commission
said, as plastic foam could now
be recycled to become raw materials
in construction, paints and
stationery.
A decision to ban
plastic foam dinnerware was imposed in
1999 over environmental pollution
concerns.
However, the lifting
of the ban on Wednesday has not
met with universal
approval.
Dong Jinshi, deputy
general secretary of the Beijing
Society for Environmental Sciences, said
a recycling system had not yet
been established and it was more
dangerous to use such products today
as many companies were using waste
plastic to make
dinnerware.
"There are no
authorities supervising the issue, and
there is a legal vacuum," Dong
said.
He said companies should
be subject to regulations governing
production quality.
Despite the
ban, dinnerware made of plastic foam
was still widely used in restaurants,
particularly by street vendors and at
small eateries, because it was so
cheap to produce.
In Shanghai,
garbage bins and plastic bags inside
a digital products shopping center in
Xujiahui area were filled with
disposable dinnerware made of plastic
foam, the Wenhui Daily newspaper
reported earlier. On Wanhangdu Road, a
restaurant was seen using disposable
dinnerware made of plastic foam to
hold food, it reported. In a
survey conducted by the newspaper and
Shanghai University, 81 out of 221 residents
said they would throw away disposable
dinnerware after use rather than
ensure they were put in recycling
bins.
It is estimated there
are at least 100 to 200 production
companies in China with an annual
capacity of 14 billion dinnerware items
made of plastic foam, according to
China National Radio.
Some
Shanghai residents said they were
concerned about toxic substances if
the products were heated.
"I
learnt that plastic foam will
discharge carcinogen after being heated,
and I think the ban should
remain for the sake of health
and the environment," said Yu
Jia.
However, experts said
while extremely high temperatures could
lead to toxic substances being
released, it was not a serious
problem.
At temperatures below 70
degrees Celsius, there would be no
harmful substances, said Yang Huidi,
an expert with the China Plastics
Processing Industry Association.
Li
Peisheng, director of China's Plastic
Dinnerware Office, said the cost of
disposable dinnerware made of plastic
foam was half that of the
cheapest disposable dinnerware previously
allowed, and it performed better in
resisting water and oil and in
keeping food warm.
It was
lighter than other dinnerware, used
fewer materials, produced less garbage
and could be recycled, he
said.
Cao Jian, an official
with China's plastic processing
association, said better management and
recycling were key to preventing
pollution.
