Delivery companies to the fore in fight against plastic waste

CHINA HAS IMPLEMENTED newly revised national standards for packing materials used for express deliveries, which require the delivery companies recycle their packing materials to reduce plastic waste. Beijing News commented on Thursday:

Statistics from the State Post Bureau reveal that the express delivery industry in China consumes about 4 billion plastic woven bags, 7 billion plastic bags, 4 billion cardboard boxes and 330 million rolls of adhesive plastic tape every year, and less than 20 percent of these materials are recycled.

The authorities vowed in December to increase the ratio of recyclable plastic to 50 percent by 2020 to check the growing mountain of plastic waste generated by the industry.