Social News
Written by: Lao Minyi
2019-12-06 00:00
Last updated: 2019-12-06 00:00An anti-revision case that has been going on for nearly half a year, the "dioxin" has become a concern. This toxic chemical can be released by burning chlorine-containing polyvinyl chloride (PVC plastic or No. 3 rubber).
The loop group had previously sampled 62 plastic bottle beverage samples in Hong Kong and the Mainland. It was found that up to half of the samples used PVC. They were worried that this "rat dung" would be mixed into the recycling process. The waste plastic pellets would pollute other materials and affect the value of recycling. . In addition, dioxin released from high-temperature burning PVC can cause cancer and damage the nervous system. Although incinerators in Hong Kong have not yet been completed, some plastics will be transported to other places to become fuels. There is concern about the transfer of harmful substances.
Zhu Hanqiang is worried that when the plastic recycling system in Hong Kong is inadequate and the PET bottle recycling rate fell to 0.2% last year, if PVC materials are mixed into the recycling process, they may pollute other materials. (Profile picture)
Green Earth and the mainland environmental protection organization "Non-Toxic Pioneer" earlier conducted joint tests. Through an X-ray fluorescence analyzer (XRF) that can accurately detect the content of chlorine elements and directly detect whether the item is PVC plastic, the samples are from Hong Kong, 62 samples of plastic labels for plastic bottles in Beijing and Guangdong (28, 10 and 24 each). Of the 28 local samples, 13 (that is, 46%) used PVC labels, including Vita, Watsons, Dow, Hongfutang, and Grape.
Zhu Hanqiang, director of the Green Earth Initiative, believes that PET bottles and PP bottle caps have better recycling value, but the labels of the bottles can be PET, PVC and PE. They are worried that when the plastic recycling system in Hong Kong is not good, The recycling rate of PET plastic bottles fell to 0.2% last year. If PVC materials are mixed into the recycling process, it can pollute other materials and drag down the quality and value of recycled plastics. He added that some plastics will be shipped to Taiwan as combustion fuel. If local air pollution monitoring is insufficient, dioxins may be released during high temperature combustion, causing hazardous substances to be transferred to other places.
Drink label write PET was detected as belonging to PVC
Zhu Hanqiang also pointed out that nearly half of the local samples used PVC labels, and the results were disappointing. It is hoped that beverage manufacturers will discard PVC and use PET or PE before the implementation of the producer responsibility system, and the practice can be further extended to supermarkets. Plastic, such as egg cartons, plastic trays. For the Vita's nine samples, seven labels contain PVC, which he considers to be a high percentage; two of the Mainland sample packages were labeled as No. 1 PET, but the labels were detected as PVC. Refers to the bottle body, not the label. Vita also responded to the ring group's inquiry and stated that some Chinese product labels have been converted to other materials such as PET, and local products are expected to change within next year.
As for the Mainland plastic bottle beverages, 18 (or 53%) of the 34 Mainland samples used PVC labels. Zhu Hanqiang pointed out that the mainland does not currently restrict the use of PVC for plastic bottles and plastics. Non-toxic pioneers expect international beverage companies to adhere to their global commitments to ensure that PVC labels and any other toxic chemicals are no longer used in the Chinese market; Master Kong, Yibao and other Chinese Leading companies in the beverage industry should take the lead in making PVC commitments.
Police have repeatedly used tear gas to disperse demonstrators, worrying whether dioxins that would harm the human body will be released. (Photo / Photo by Liang Pengwei)
Taiwan and South Korea have successively depacked PVC
In 2005, when it was specified that PVC for beverage plastic bottles was used in Taiwan, the industry had to bear additional recycling costs. The amount of PVC plastic containers used in the previous year accounted for only 0.29% of the total plastic container consumption. Since July this year, the Taiwan environmental protection department has increased its charges by 4.7 times From the current Taiwan dollar 18.5 (about 4.8 Hong Kong dollars) per kilogram to 87 Taiwan dollars (about 22 Hong Kong dollars), to further promote the industry to reduce. The South Korean Ministry of the Environment also announced that from December 25, PVC packaging materials such as beverage bottles will be banned.
Green Earth hopes that Hong Kong's environmental protection departments should not "continue to eat dust" when it comes to PVC regulation, and call on consumers to refuse to buy disposable drinks to avoid becoming an accomplice in the production of harmful plastic waste.
The EPA replied that the PVC label on plastic beverage containers is part of the packaging materials of the container and will be considered together when formulating the details of the producer responsibility plan.
[Fugitives Regulations] Swire Coca-Cola said that the situation is not hindering investment and reducing plastics
[Fugitives Regulations] Citizens Release Tear Grenades in Police in Distressed Areas
[Environmental pollution] Indonesian egg dioxin content "dominates" one Asian food exceeds 70 times the standard
[Dioxin diet] Fruit bar fruit suspected of dioxin pollution experts teach cleaning and eating should be avoided
[Tear smoke lazy pack] Dioxin or skin rash, redness and swelling, external application of traditional Chinese medicine to relieve detoxification
[Fugitive Offenders Regulations] Chen Zhaoshi: Medical literature shows no tear gas-induced dioxin poisoning cases
Recycling Environmental Protection Agency