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Excessive packaging environmental woes
Excessive packaging is being held partially responsible for the rubbish crisis currently afflicting China's cities. According to statistics from the Ministry of Construction, of the 3 million tons of rubbish generated in Beijing each year, 30 per cent, or 830,000 tons, are wasted packaging, 600,000 tons, or 20% of the total annual total, is considered to be 'excessive' packaging, Xinhua reported. According to international standards, packaging that accounts for more than 15 per cent of the cost of the product is considered excessive. In recent years, excessive packaging has become prevalent in China, leading to many problems. 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. He added: "If excessively packaged goods were 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 and excessive packaging were major contributors to the city's rubbish crisis, accounting for over 35 per cent of household waste. He said excessive packaging adds a burden to the city's refuse disposal system, and leads to environmental problems: Most excessive packaging is made of glass, metal and plastics, materials which cannot be easily re-used or recycled. Experts argue that shiny packaging materials can contain chemicals which are a threat to people's health. Excessive packaging is also a drain on the limited natural resources.
(China Daily 08/01/2005 page2)
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