VOA慢速：印度全面禁止使用一次性塑料制品

India banned some single-use or disposable plastic products recently as part of a plan to slowly discontinue the use of the material in the South Asian nation.

印度最近禁止了一些一次性塑料产品，这是这个南亚国家逐步停止使用这种材料计划的一部分。

For its first step in the plan, the federal government has identified 19 plastic products

作为该计划的第一步，联邦政府已经确定了19种塑料产品，

that are not very useful but have a high possibility of becoming waste.

这些产品不是很有用，但很有可能成为废物。

It is illegal to produce, import, keep, give them out, or sell them.

生产、进口、保存、分发或出售它们都是非法的。

These products include cups, straws, and ice cream sticks made from plastic.

这些产品包括由塑料制成的杯子、吸管和冰淇淋棒。

Some disposable plastic bags will also be banned and replaced with thicker, reusable ones.

一些一次性塑料袋也将被禁止，取而代之的是更厚、可重复使用的塑料袋。

Thousands of other plastic products, like bottles for water or bags for foods like chips, are not covered by the ban.

数以千计的其他塑料产品，如装水的瓶子或薯片等食品袋，不在禁令范围内。

But the federal government has set targets for manufacturers to be responsible for recycling or disposing of them after their use.

但联邦政府已经为制造商制定了目标，要求他们负责回收或处理使用后的产品。

Plastic manufacturers had appealed to the government to delay the ban.

塑料制造商曾呼吁政府推迟禁令。

They said inflation and possible job losses are a concern.

他们说，通胀和可能的失业是一个令人担忧的问题。

But India's federal environment minister Bhupender Yadav told the media at a meeting in New Delhi that the ban had been in progress for a year.

但印度联邦环境部长布潘达·亚德夫在新德里的一次会议上告诉媒体，禁令已经进行一年了。

'Now that time is up,' he said.

“现在时间到了，”他说。

This is not the first time that India has considered a plastic ban.

这并不是印度第一次考虑禁止塑料制品。

Previous bans have centered in some areas of the country with different degrees of success.

此前的禁令主要集中在该国的一些地区，取得了不同程度的成功。

A nationwide ban that includes not just the use of plastic, but also its production and importation was a 'definite boost,' said Satyarupa Shekhar.

萨蒂亚鲁帕·谢哈尔说，一项全国性的禁令不仅包括塑料的使用，还包括塑料的生产和进口，这是一个“明显的改善”。

A 'definite boost' means a clear improvement.

“Definite boost”意思是明显的改善。

Shekhar is the Asia-Pacific area adviser for the organization Break Free from Plastic.

谢哈尔是“脱离塑料”组织的亚太地区顾问。

Most plastic is not recycled around the world.

世界各地的大多数塑料都没有回收利用。

The materials pollute the world's oceans, affect wildlife, and turn up in drinking water.

这些物质污染了世界的海洋，影响了野生动物，还出现在饮用水中。

And scientists are still trying to understand the risks from very small pieces of plastic, known as microplastics.

科学家们仍在试图了解被称为微塑料的极小塑料片的风险。

The country's waste management system cannot handle its growing cities and villages.

该国的垃圾管理系统无法应对城市和农村快速发展带来的压力。

It means that much of the waste is not recycled and ends up polluting the environment.

这意味着许多垃圾没有得到回收，最终污染了环境。

Our World in Data found that nearly 13 million metric tons of plastic waste were either thrown out or not recycled by the nation of nearly 1.4 billion people in 2019.

“以数据看世界”发现，2019年，这个拥有近14亿人口的国家丢弃或未回收的塑料垃圾接近1300万吨。

Ravi Agarwal is the director of Toxic Link, a New Delhi-based group that supports waste management.

拉维·阿加瓦尔是总部位于新德里的支持废物管理的组织Toxic Link的负责人。

Agarwal said the ban was a 'good beginning,' but its success will depend on how well it is carried out.

阿加瓦尔说，这项禁令是一个“良好的开端”，但它的成功将取决于它执行力度。

The actual enforcement of the law will be in the hands of individual states and cities.

法律的实际执行将掌握在各个邦和城市的手中。

Government officials said they banned products that could be replaced by other materials,

政府官员表示，他们禁止可以被其他材料取代的产品，

such as bamboo spoons, plantain trays, and wooden ice-cream sticks.

如竹勺、车前草托盘、还有木制冰激凌棒。

But in the days leading up to the ban, many food sellers said they did not fully understand.

但在禁令颁布前的几天里，许多食品销售商表示，他们并不完全理解。

Moti Rahman sells vegetables in New Delhi.

莫蒂·拉赫曼在新德里卖蔬菜。

He said customers would carefully pick out fresh summer produce before he put them in a plastic bag.

他说，在他把新鲜的夏季农产品放进塑料袋之前，顾客会仔细挑选。

Rahman said that he agrees with the ban.

拉赫曼说，他同意这项禁令。

But he added that if plastic bags are banned without a cost-effective replacement, his business will be affected.

但他补充说，如果在没有性价比高的替代品的情况下禁止塑料袋，他的业务将受到影响。

Rahman said, 'After all, plastic is used in everything.'

拉赫曼说：“毕竟，所有东西都用到了塑料。”

I'm Gregory Stachel.

格雷戈里·斯塔切尔为您播报。