The French parliament recently passed the main contents of the anti pollution and circular economy bill. The new law puts forward quantitative targets for banning disposable plastic products and reducing plastic pollution, and plans a roadmap for banning disposable plastic products in an all-round way: banning the use of disposable plastic packaging in 2024, realizing 100% recycling of plastic by 2025, and reducing the sales of disposable plastic bottles by half by 2030.

In order to achieve the above goals, the French government has introduced new regulations for plastic producers. At present, 15 industries in France follow the principle of "polluter pays", that is, enterprises provide certain funds to deal with the waste produced in the production process. According to the new regulations, from 2022, the principle will be further extended to construction materials, toys, sports and leisure products, decoration and gardening products and other industries. The new regulations also require producers to mark whether the product can be repaired and indicate the information of accessories needed to repair the product, so as to provide a reference for subsequent product recycling. The new regulations will bring a series of changes to consumers' daily life. Since January 1 this year, France has banned the sale of some disposable plastic products, including plastic household disposable cotton swabs, disposable plastic cups and plates.

According to the new law, fast food stores will be prohibited from providing plastic packaging or disposable tableware no later than January 1, 2023, and consumers can use their own containers to purchase meals. In addition, printing of shopping tickets will be phased out.

According to the announcement of the French Ministry of ecological transformation and solidarity, the new bill is not only conducive to promoting green consumption mode in France, but also will make France make greater contribution to promoting the implementation of the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

"This bill will change our production and consumption patterns and end France's dependence on disposable plastic products." "The bill will also promote more ordinary people to participate in the process of ecological transformation in France and reduce waste generation and greenhouse gas emissions," said Brune puwalson, Secretary of state of the French Ministry of ecological transformation and solidarity

There are also some French people who are skeptical about whether the new bill can really be implemented. Statistics show that France produces an average of 2.2 million tons of plastic per year, while only 25% of the total plastic is recycled each year. This is a long way from achieving the goal of 100% plastic recycling by 2025.

Laurent Radisson, a columnist of the French "contemporary environment" website, believes that France's comprehensive promotion of the "plastic restriction order" upgrade can greatly reduce the generation of plastic waste, but in order to complete the objectives of the new bill on time, it is urgent to establish a more perfect plastic recycling mechanism. From "everything can be discarded" to "everything can be reused", the cost of materials and manpower, and how to guide the people to realize the deep-seated change of life style, all test the planning and action ability of French government and relevant institutions.

Source: People's daily