Nonbiodegradable plastic banning rolls off across provinces

South China's Hainan province has made a bold move to ban the use, sale and production of single-use nonbiodegradable plastic products on Dec 1, making it the nation's first to implement the strictest rules to curb plastic and promote green living.

The first batch of items banned includes single-use plastic shopping bags, bowls and cups for takeout, drinking straws, forks and other products made from nonbiodegradable polymers.

Other regions in China have also enhanced control on the use and production of plastic products. For example, Shanghai will ban supermarkets from offering plastic bags to customers starting from Jan 1, 2021.

Responding to the changes in green lifestyles, plastic companies are developing new products based on degradable materials, such as starch, bamboo and paper pulp.