On December 8th, Hainan Province held a press conference on the progress of the third anniversary of the plastic ban in Hainan Province.
On December 1, 2020, with the official implementation of the "Regulations on Prohibiting Disposable Non degradable Plastic Products in Hainan Special Economic Zone," Hainan fully implemented a "plastic ban.". Zhang Xinfang, Deputy Director of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hainan Province, said that in the past three years, Hainan Province has formulated and released three batches of plastic prohibition lists, including 2 major categories and 12 sub categories of disposable non degradable plastic products in the list of plastic prohibition. A plastic ban management information platform has been established to implement traceability management for all biodegradable alternatives.
According to He Haiping, Deputy Director of the Market Supervision Administration of Hainan Province, market supervision and comprehensive law enforcement departments in various cities and counties in Hainan Province have strictly investigated the production, sales, storage, and transportation of disposable non degradable plastic products. In the past three years, the province has filed 10308 cases, closed 9609 cases, seized over 56 million prohibited plastic products, and fined 17.1556 million yuan.
At the same time as the ban on plastic production, Hainan plans to develop a long-term biodegradable material industry and build a biodegradable plastic product industry cluster centered around Haikou High tech Zone. Zhang Xinfang said that currently Hainan has formed a production capacity of about 36000 tons/year for modified materials, 40400 tons/year for membrane bags, and over 40000 tons/year for tableware, which has initially formed an industrial agglomeration effect and ensured the supply of plastic substitutes. From January to November 2023, sales of biodegradable alternatives reached 14000 tons, an increase of 27.3% compared to the full year of 2022. Moreover, Hainan Province also promotes advanced technologies and high-quality products in the fully biodegradable material industry to both domestic and international markets, encouraging enterprises to utilize the free trade port policy and continuously explore international markets. Currently, multiple catering utensils production enterprises in Hainan Province have obtained international certification for their products, connecting overseas markets such as the European Union, the United States, and Southeast Asia. Hainan will further strengthen the source control of prohibited plastic products, promote centralized procurement of biodegradable plastic bags in agricultural markets, and continue to promote the development of substitute industries.