British media said that the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Agency Erik Solheim said on the 29th that China’s crackdown on the import of plastic “foreign waste” should be a signal to rich countries to strengthen recycling and reduce non-essential products such as plastic straws.

Reuters reported on January 29th that China is the main recipient of more than half of Western countries’ plastic waste exports. Since China banned the import of “foreign waste” including some grades of plastic and paper waste, some western ports have already accumulated large amounts of waste. . Solheim, who once served as Norway's environment minister, called for the developed countries to reconsider the use of plastics after this month’s China regulations came into force. Do not simply think about finding places to dump overseas. He said: "I have heard some Europeans complain about China's decision. We should regard this decision as a benefit to the Chinese people and a warning for the rest of the world."

He said, "There are many products that we don't need at all." The most typical example is plastic particles, which are mostly used in cosmetics such as facial scrubs or abrasives in toothpaste, but they are used in global oceans, rivers, and lakes. There is pollution. Solheim agreed with the ban on the use of plastic particles. The United States passed a law prohibiting the use of plastic particles in 2015. Similar UK laws also came into effect this month.

Reported that there are also straws, he said: "Ordinary Americans consume 600 straws each year, resulting in a lot of plastic waste, everyone can drink water directly from the cup or bottle." He suggested that restaurants and bars can post "If you It does require straws. We can provide instructions such as "Some companies have reduced the use of straws."

Solheim said companies including Coca-Cola, Nestle and Danone are taking steps to increase the recycling rate of plastic products, or switch to biodegradable packaging materials. Kenya has banned the use of plastic bags. However, he said, "This issue is very serious. The government and companies need to make greater efforts."

The report said that he said that it is much better for countries to handle the waste generated in their own country than to find new waste exporters. He added that after the ban was issued in China, “the emerging countries like India and Vietnam have not clearly shown their willingness to take over these wastes.”