Plastic and Pollution in China
Usually we like to blog about the positive (and pretty) side of our travel be it where we stayed, who we met or how we were treated. As the discussion of single use plastic becomes more common in the media, we felt obliged to share our views based on what we've seen.
The Culture of Packaging
In China (and perhaps the world), packaging is really important usually leading to a higher price tag. Now we understand why it was always expensive to buy moon cakes in New Zealand as they are excessively packaged in a plastic shell, sealed in a bag, and then encased in a tin box.
They are shiny alright – every fruit individually cling wrapped for presentation and to keep clean
零食 (língshí) are small snacks ranging from dried peas, biscuits, lollies to cocktail sausages and chicken feet!
Out of sight, out of mind but right into the stomach
One day cycling towards Chaka Salt Lake we noticed two donkeys on the side of the road so stop to take some photos. They were grazing the land for food as most farm animals do. We snacked on a pear each and offered the cores to the donkeys, but then saw something extremely disheartening. One donkey picked a plastic bag and munched it all up. Not only was that bad, that poor animal will be on the menu in the near future too.
驴肉 (lürou) Donkey meat anyone?
A common sight here in China where drivers toss out freely from their window
Beautiful spot right? The rubbish has been left out of frame for our viewers pleasure
Camping at the Park
One day we camped at a public park which included the usual exercise equipments and basketball court. However, after scouting for a suitable spot, we gave the grass a miss because it had broken glasses everywhere. We were further shocked to see the children that came to visit and chat to us, go play on the grass where all the glass bottles are sitting!
At least on the concrete we can sweep the ground of glass and rubbish
Positive Development
The government is trying hard to encourage the population to take responsibility of their rubbish. Propaganda posters along the highway usually say things like…
Green mountains and clear water is more valuable than gold and silver
Look after the environment so there's greenery for everyone
Don't throw rubbish, everyone is responsible for it
Some towns have provided on street bins, to the point where there was one every 20 meters!
Despite the governments attempts to create social change it appears they are not winning the fight. Not even close. We have seen rivers clogged with plastics, people emptying rubbish into the river from a bridge despite a skip being provided close by. We have often witnessed the highway cleaners picking up rubbish and throwing it further from the road usually into agricultural land or closer to the river. The excessive use of plastic is also being used in fields just poking holes through to add the plants. It seems that this plastic may then eventually be ploughed into the soil once the crop has finished.
We can all do our part in eliciting social change when it comes to single use plastics. Don't forget reduce, reuse and recycle. Embrace the movement away from single use plastics, provide pressure and support for a total ban. Be a leader and set good examples next time you enter the stores.
Breaking news
Even today, looking online there's already several articles about the devastating effects of plastic…
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Wow, thank you!
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You did a great job! I am pleased that the government of China is working to raise awareness among the population, and I hope that the companies, in addition to promoting consumption, also promote the care of the environment.
Reading your post made me think of something very important: I live in Venezuela, here the economic crisis is getting worse every day, there is a shortage of many products and one of those are plastics, such as bags; here they are no longer used because they are very expensive, before they were given to you in supermarkets, but now if you want one you must pay it separately, which is why people prefer to carry their cloth bags.
In the streets there are no plastic containers of drinks thrown away because there are companies that pay cash (which is also scarce) in exchange for these containers for reuse them.
Seeing the positive side of the crisis may also have brought us some good things, such as learning not to generate so much garbage.
I wish you have a great day, a hug 😄
That is really interesting! Thanks for sharing your story in Venezuela
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