Excessive packaging is being held partially responsible for the
problems with waste disposal facing many of China's cities,
according to statistics from the Ministry of Construction
(MOC).
Of the 3 million tons of rubbish generated in Beijing
each year, 30 percent, or 830,000 tons, are disposed packaging.
600,000 tons, or 20 percent?of the total annual total, is
considered to be "excessive.", according to a Xinhua report.
By international standards, packaging that accounts for more
than 15 percent of the cost of the product is considered
excessive.
Xinhua quoted Wang Weiping, a senior engineer at the Beijing
Management Administration Commission, as saying that Beijing spends
1 billion yuan (US$123 million) on rubbish disposal.
Wang added: "If excessive packaging was reduced, the city could
save 200 million yuan (US$24.6 million) a year."
Gu Lairu, director of Beijing's Chaoyang District Disposal
Centre, said packaging was major contributor to the city's rubbish
crisis, accounting for over 35 percent of household waste.
Most packaging is made of glass, metal and plastics, materials
which cannot be easily re-used or recycled.
Experts also argue that shiny packaging materials in particular
can contain chemicals which might pose a threat to people's health.
Packaging also puts a strain on the country's limited natural
resources.
(China Daily August 1, 2005)