You are here: Home > Environment > Features & Analyses

Adjust font size:

So how did toxic chopsticks sneak into the market and become popular with so many of China's restaurants?

Mo said the chopsticks did not just pop up out of nowhere.

In China, disposable chopsticks do not have to be certified using quality safety standards, as is required for disposable plastic foam dinnerware. Low standards and huge profits have led to the rampant use of uncertified disposable chopsticks, Mo said.

The low-quality chopsticks are not the only disposable tableware that is causing health and environmental concerns.

In February, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) lifted a 14-year ban on disposable dinnerware made of plastic foam.

Referred to by some as "white pollution," plastic-foam dinnerware, once thrown away, takes a long time to decompose and can therefore pose a great danger to the ecosystem.

On Sina Weibo, netizens expressed varying opinions about the lift of the ban, which will be effective starting May 1.

"Won't it be dangerous to our health if we use lots of plastic-foam lunchboxes?" wrote one Weibo user.

"There was actually a ban? But I see the boxes everyday!" wrote another Weibo user.

According to articles posted on the official website of the China Plastics Processing Industry Association, plastic-foam dinnerware is non-toxic and there is no solid scientific evidence that such tableware is carcinogenic.

Chen Xingle, chief physician at the Guangxi Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said some disposable dinnerware contains plasticizers and can come with health risks.

He said that if disposable tableware is heated in microwave ovens or used to hold food containing oil, it might release toxic substances.

He added that plastic-foam dinnerware "takes up a lot of natural resources," as the production process for such goods requires large amounts of oil.

Chen said that once the tableware is in use again, strict restrictions should be imposed, suggesting that manufacturers should follow national standards when making the products.

He said refuse-sorting will also be essential, adding that the government should raise public awareness of such efforts in order to protect the environment.

"The government should enhance its supervision to prevent uncertified products from entering the market," he said.

 

Print E-mail

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

Add your comments...

• User Name Required
• Your Comment
• Enter the words you see:   
  Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.