Whether Styrofoam packaging should be disabled or recycled in the end?

The rapid development of the plastics industry, while helping to raise people's living standards, also has caused more and more environmental problems. As a result, more and more governments are beginning to ban plastic bags, polystyrene (PS) food packaging, and other packaging products. Today, plastic limit orders have been implemented or proposed in many parts of Asia, including India, Malaysia and the Philippines.

A few days ago, California introduced the Hermosa beach polystyrene packaging ban, the implementation of the time is September 11 this year, the validity period of 180 days. It is expected that about 30 seaside enterprises, including restaurants and grocery stores, will be affected by the performance.

It is well-known that PS foam is a lightweight petroleum-based plastic material commonly used in foam-molded products such as shipping services, disposable containers, disposable foam lunch boxes, and other things. Styrofoam is considered by many environmental groups as a major cause of beach and marine pollution. And many places do not pay attention to the Styrofoam recycling.

However, Tang Sezhen, a senior engineer with China National Light Industry Information Center, believes that PS foam plastic tableware is not the culprit of "white pollution" according to years of practical experience and research results both at home and abroad. It is innocuous, safe and hygienic and can be recycled.

From the comprehensive analysis and appraisal of resources, energy, application, hygienic performance, recycling and degradation performance and price, all the other items are superior to all kinds of disposable fast food utensils except that the raw materials are not from renewable resources and are hard to be degraded after use, that is, The price is the best of all types of disposable tableware. From the life-cycle evaluation of disposable fast food utensils, PS foam plastic tableware is a green product that meets the principle of 3R (reduction, recovery, reuse). Therefore, in the current alternative technology products, economic problems have not been fully resolved, application, health performance, there are still many problems and the market has greater demand, PS foam plastic food packaging is undoubtedly the first choice of disposable food packaging.

In the meantime, Keith Christman, managing director of the plastics industry at the American Chemistry Council, told reporters: "I do not believe the introduction of a PS ban will solve the problem of reducing PS waste and pollution. Solving the problem of PS waste and pollution is undoubtedly a challenge, but we must try to stop it, make sure the product is properly disposed of and recycled through styrofoam hot melting machine for a fundamental solution. "