US Faces Mounting Plastic Waste Challenge With Limited Recycling Solutions After China's 2018 Import Ban: Report
US Faces Mounting Plastic Waste Challenge With Limited Recycling Solutions After China's 2018 Import Ban: Report
The United States is currently facing a significant plastic waste crisis, generating 40 million tons of plastic waste each year, with no cost-effective method to recycle 91% of it.
美國目前正面臨嚴重的塑料廢物危機，每年產生4000萬噸塑料垃圾，沒有具有成本效益的方法可以回收其中的91％。
What Happened: The U.S. has been dealing with a plastic waste crisis for several years, Business Insider reported on Thursday. Previously, the U.S. exported 7 million tons of plastic waste annually to China. However, China's decision to stop importing plastic in 2018 has left the U.S. searching for alternatives.
發生了什麼：據《商業內幕》週四報道，美國多年來一直在應對塑料廢物危機。此前，美國每年向中國出口700萬噸塑料廢物。但是，中國決定在2018年停止進口塑料，這讓美國不得不尋找替代品。
Oil giants like Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) and Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) have suggested converting plastic into crude oil as a potential solution. These companies are advocating for the creation of 150 plants dedicated to pyrolysis, a type of chemical recycling that transforms plastic into crude oil. Critics, however, contend that these facilities emit harmful particles and are heavily dependent on government subsidies.
雪佛龍公司（紐約證券交易所代碼：CVX）和埃克森美孚公司（紐約證券交易所代碼：XOM）等石油巨頭建議將塑料轉化爲原油作爲潛在的解決方案。這些公司主張建立150座專門用於熱解的工廠，熱解是一種將塑料轉化爲原油的化學回收方式。但是，批評者認爲，這些設施會排放有害顆粒，並且嚴重依賴政府補貼。
Despite plastic production doubling every 15 to 20 years, the recycling rate remains low. A 2022 report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development found that only 9% of all plastic ever produced had been recycled, with 72% ending up in landfills or the environment.
儘管塑料產量每15到20年翻一番，但回收率仍然很低。經濟合作與發展組織2022年的一份報告發現，有史以來生產的所有塑料中只有9％被回收利用，72％最終進入垃圾填埋場或環境。
In response to the escalating plastic waste problem, the UN adopted a resolution in early 2022 to eliminate all plastic pollution through a legally binding international plastics treaty. The resolution seeks to address plastic production and recycling at every level to reduce global plastic pollution.
爲了應對不斷升級的塑料廢物問題，聯合國於2022年初通過了一項決議，通過具有法律約束力的國際塑料條約消除所有塑料污染。該決議旨在解決各個層面的塑料生產和回收問題，以減少全球塑料污染。
Why It Matters: The plastic waste crisis is not just a U.S. problem, but a global one. Innovative solutions are being explored to address this issue. For instance, Australian researchers have discovered that two types of fungi — Aspergillus terreus and Engyodontium album — can break down polypropylene plastic, commonly used in food containers and rarely recycled. After 140 days of incubation, these fungi completely degraded the plastic, offering a promising solution to the plastic waste problem.
爲何重要：塑料廢物危機不僅是美國的問題，而且是全球問題。正在探索創新的解決方案來解決這個問題。例如，澳大利亞研究人員發現，兩種真菌——Aspergillus terreus和Engyodontium album——可以分解聚丙烯塑料，這種塑料通常用於食品容器，很少回收利用。經過140天的孵化，這些真菌完全降解了塑料，爲塑料廢物問題提供了一個有希望的解決方案。
Image via Shutterstock
圖片來自 Shutterstock
譯文內容由第三人軟體翻譯。