一場(chǎng)新冠疫情,導(dǎo)致減少或禁止使用一次性塑料用品的努力倒退了數(shù)年,但不能簡(jiǎn)單責(zé)怪疫情期間外賣打包容器和一次性口罩使用增加。
8月17日,投行Jefferies的分析師在一份報(bào)告中指出,疫情引發(fā)了一系列變化:油價(jià)迅速下跌后原始塑料變得更便宜,廢物管理公司和市政當(dāng)局遭受虧損,加上地方禁令和限制措施的推遲,都會(huì)影響廢除塑料垃圾的能力。
一份題為《塑料海洋》的報(bào)告指出,“禁令和相應(yīng)稅收倒退到疫情之前,物理和化學(xué)回收活動(dòng)也減少。消費(fèi)者因擔(dān)心病毒傳染,盡可能減少使用一次性塑料用品的意愿也降低。”
分析人士發(fā)現(xiàn),最令人驚訝的事,普通人塑料用品消費(fèi)可能并不是問(wèn)題的根源所在。
Jefferies的分析師表示,餐飲外賣、超市狂歡式購(gòu)物和一次性口罩確實(shí)產(chǎn)生大量塑料垃圾,但增量當(dāng)中大部分(甚至全部)與疫情中其他領(lǐng)域塑料使用量降低抵消,例如工業(yè)和商業(yè)因?yàn)闃I(yè)務(wù)下降而減少了塑料使用。
報(bào)告還發(fā)現(xiàn),美國(guó)個(gè)人防護(hù)裝備的使用帶來(lái)新一波塑料垃圾,防護(hù)裝備主要由塑料纖維制成,不能回收利用。然而由于手術(shù)推遲和急診病例減少,其他類型醫(yī)療垃圾有所減少,兩方面基本可以相互抵消。
但宏觀形勢(shì)仍然令人擔(dān)憂。疫情嚴(yán)重打擊了收集處理塑料垃圾以回收利用的公司。盡管消費(fèi)者普遍抵制塑料,政策制定者卻暫時(shí)擱置了加大限制塑料使用的法律,畢竟當(dāng)前面臨的其他難題更緊迫。另一個(gè)難題就是如何提升回收塑料的經(jīng)濟(jì)可行性,特別是在疫情期間。
報(bào)告指出:“即使在發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家,廢物處理的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)也在下降。新冠疫情對(duì)廢棄物處理領(lǐng)域,特別是回收行業(yè)造成了顯著影響。企業(yè)受到諸多因素的沖擊,包括人員限制、強(qiáng)制關(guān)閉、預(yù)算削減、嚴(yán)厲監(jiān)管、低油價(jià)和需求下降等。”
石油價(jià)格大幅下跌,還有全球疫情爆發(fā)和緊接的全面封鎖和金融危機(jī),都已經(jīng)影響到航空旅行和工業(yè)活動(dòng)。新生產(chǎn)的塑料,也稱作“原始”塑料的價(jià)格隨之下降,因?yàn)榇祟愃芰系脑鲜请S石油產(chǎn)品生產(chǎn)的石化產(chǎn)品。報(bào)告指出,由于回收塑料的成本固定,油價(jià)下跌時(shí)與新塑料相比回收塑料的成本更高,沒有經(jīng)濟(jì)效益。石油和天然氣公司又加大投資石化產(chǎn)品加工領(lǐng)域,可能加劇成本差距。
當(dāng)?shù)貑?wèn)題
新冠疫情不僅沖擊了廢物管理公司,還有雇用公司的城市和地區(qū),廢物收集也受到影響。美國(guó)的許多地區(qū)已經(jīng)削減或取消了回收項(xiàng)目,尤其在中國(guó)和其他國(guó)家限制或禁止進(jìn)口外國(guó)垃圾之后。
現(xiàn)在看來(lái),種種趨勢(shì)仍將持續(xù)。在公共財(cái)政受沖擊后,垃圾回收項(xiàng)目變得十分脆弱,從回收商業(yè)垃圾向回收住宅垃圾的轉(zhuǎn)變也對(duì)物流構(gòu)成了挑戰(zhàn),而且人們擔(dān)心回收項(xiàng)目可能傳播病毒。報(bào)告指出,盡管歐盟新的廢棄物稅政策將嚴(yán)格限制使用一次性塑料,英國(guó)以及包括丹佛、安克雷奇等在內(nèi)的美國(guó)城市卻紛紛宣布減弱、推遲或直接暫停回收項(xiàng)目計(jì)劃。塔吉特百貨和全食超市等公司都在盡可能做出努力,限制或禁止一次性使用的杯子、袋子或其他商品。但是,考慮到當(dāng)前的新現(xiàn)實(shí),相關(guān)措施可能遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不夠。
而且分析人士表示,大量剛使用過(guò)的個(gè)人防護(hù)用品不僅不可回收利用,還會(huì)污染廢物,已經(jīng)成為公共垃圾的主要來(lái)源。
限制塑料滯后的影響也十分明顯。根據(jù)英國(guó)研究人員7月發(fā)布的一份聯(lián)合研究報(bào)告,按照目前的“照常”速度,到2040年,塑料進(jìn)入全球海洋的速度將增至現(xiàn)在的三倍。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:Feb
一場(chǎng)新冠疫情,導(dǎo)致減少或禁止使用一次性塑料用品的努力倒退了數(shù)年,但不能簡(jiǎn)單責(zé)怪疫情期間外賣打包容器和一次性口罩使用增加。
8月17日,投行Jefferies的分析師在一份報(bào)告中指出,疫情引發(fā)了一系列變化:油價(jià)迅速下跌后原始塑料變得更便宜,廢物管理公司和市政當(dāng)局遭受虧損,加上地方禁令和限制措施的推遲,都會(huì)影響廢除塑料垃圾的能力。
一份題為《塑料海洋》的報(bào)告指出,“禁令和相應(yīng)稅收倒退到疫情之前,物理和化學(xué)回收活動(dòng)也減少。消費(fèi)者因擔(dān)心病毒傳染,盡可能減少使用一次性塑料用品的意愿也降低。”
分析人士發(fā)現(xiàn),最令人驚訝的事,普通人塑料用品消費(fèi)可能并不是問(wèn)題的根源所在。
Jefferies的分析師表示,餐飲外賣、超市狂歡式購(gòu)物和一次性口罩確實(shí)產(chǎn)生大量塑料垃圾,但增量當(dāng)中大部分(甚至全部)與疫情中其他領(lǐng)域塑料使用量降低抵消,例如工業(yè)和商業(yè)因?yàn)闃I(yè)務(wù)下降而減少了塑料使用。
報(bào)告還發(fā)現(xiàn),美國(guó)個(gè)人防護(hù)裝備的使用帶來(lái)新一波塑料垃圾,防護(hù)裝備主要由塑料纖維制成,不能回收利用。然而由于手術(shù)推遲和急診病例減少,其他類型醫(yī)療垃圾有所減少,兩方面基本可以相互抵消。
但宏觀形勢(shì)仍然令人擔(dān)憂。疫情嚴(yán)重打擊了收集處理塑料垃圾以回收利用的公司。盡管消費(fèi)者普遍抵制塑料,政策制定者卻暫時(shí)擱置了加大限制塑料使用的法律,畢竟當(dāng)前面臨的其他難題更緊迫。另一個(gè)難題就是如何提升回收塑料的經(jīng)濟(jì)可行性,特別是在疫情期間。
報(bào)告指出:“即使在發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家,廢物處理的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)也在下降。新冠疫情對(duì)廢棄物處理領(lǐng)域,特別是回收行業(yè)造成了顯著影響。企業(yè)受到諸多因素的沖擊,包括人員限制、強(qiáng)制關(guān)閉、預(yù)算削減、嚴(yán)厲監(jiān)管、低油價(jià)和需求下降等。”
石油價(jià)格大幅下跌,還有全球疫情爆發(fā)和緊接的全面封鎖和金融危機(jī),都已經(jīng)影響到航空旅行和工業(yè)活動(dòng)。新生產(chǎn)的塑料,也稱作“原始”塑料的價(jià)格隨之下降,因?yàn)榇祟愃芰系脑鲜请S石油產(chǎn)品生產(chǎn)的石化產(chǎn)品。報(bào)告指出,由于回收塑料的成本固定,油價(jià)下跌時(shí)與新塑料相比回收塑料的成本更高,沒有經(jīng)濟(jì)效益。石油和天然氣公司又加大投資石化產(chǎn)品加工領(lǐng)域,可能加劇成本差距。
當(dāng)?shù)貑?wèn)題
新冠疫情不僅沖擊了廢物管理公司,還有雇用公司的城市和地區(qū),廢物收集也受到影響。美國(guó)的許多地區(qū)已經(jīng)削減或取消了回收項(xiàng)目,尤其在中國(guó)和其他國(guó)家限制或禁止進(jìn)口外國(guó)垃圾之后。
現(xiàn)在看來(lái),種種趨勢(shì)仍將持續(xù)。在公共財(cái)政受沖擊后,垃圾回收項(xiàng)目變得十分脆弱,從回收商業(yè)垃圾向回收住宅垃圾的轉(zhuǎn)變也對(duì)物流構(gòu)成了挑戰(zhàn),而且人們擔(dān)心回收項(xiàng)目可能傳播病毒。報(bào)告指出,盡管歐盟新的廢棄物稅政策將嚴(yán)格限制使用一次性塑料,英國(guó)以及包括丹佛、安克雷奇等在內(nèi)的美國(guó)城市卻紛紛宣布減弱、推遲或直接暫停回收項(xiàng)目計(jì)劃。塔吉特百貨和全食超市等公司都在盡可能做出努力,限制或禁止一次性使用的杯子、袋子或其他商品。但是,考慮到當(dāng)前的新現(xiàn)實(shí),相關(guān)措施可能遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不夠。
而且分析人士表示,大量剛使用過(guò)的個(gè)人防護(hù)用品不僅不可回收利用,還會(huì)污染廢物,已經(jīng)成為公共垃圾的主要來(lái)源。
限制塑料滯后的影響也十分明顯。根據(jù)英國(guó)研究人員7月發(fā)布的一份聯(lián)合研究報(bào)告,按照目前的“照常”速度,到2040年,塑料進(jìn)入全球海洋的速度將增至現(xiàn)在的三倍。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:Feb
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed efforts to reduce or ban single-use plastics back by years—and the culprit isn't simply due to a rise in takeaway containers and disposable face masks.
A whole host of shifts, from the rapid fall in oil prices—making "virgin" plastics cheaper—to the economic toll on waste management companies and municipalities, to delays in local bans and restrictions, are expected to limit our collective ability to abolish plastic waste, Jefferies analysts said in a report on Augst 17.
"Bans and taxes have been rolled back, physical and chemical recycling activity has decreased, and virus concerns may have reduced consumers' desire to minimize consumption of single-use plastics," the report, entitled "Drowning in Plastics," said.
The most surprising twist, the analysts found, may be that our own plastic consumption isn't the root of the problem.
While take-away meals, supermarket binge shopping, and disposable face masks have all produced new gluts of plastic waste, that increase has been mostly (if not entirely) offset by the economic hits elsewhere from the pandemic: declines in plastic use for the industrial and commercial businesses that have seen business decline, Jefferies analysts said.
In the U.S., even the fresh wave of PPE—which is made of plastic fibres, and cannot be recycled—has likely so far been offset by the decline in other kinds of medical waste, the report found, as surgeries were delayed, and emergency visits fell.
But the bigger picture is more worrying. The pandemic is hitting hard the firms that collect and process plastics for recycling. And laws expanding restrictions on plastic use are being moth-balled by policymakers whose attention is needed elsewhere—this, despite a widespread consumer backlash against such waste. And then there's the riddle of making recycling plastic an economically feasible activity, particularly during a pandemic.
"Even in the developed world, standards of waste treatment have gone down, with COVID-19 significantly affecting the waste services sector, and particularly the recycling industry," the report said. "Companies have been hit by a myriad of factors including staffing limitations, forced closures, budget cuts, unfavorable regulations, low oil prices, and lower demand."
The steep drop in oil prices, as the pandemic and ensuing lockdown and financial crises have cut into air travel and industrial activity, has also made newly made, or "virgin", plastic cheaper, as their base are the petrochemicals produced with oil products. Because recycled plastics' costs are fixed, they get no financial benefit when oil prices fall, and so are more expensive in comparison to fresh plastic, the report noted. Steep investment in petrochemicals processing by oil and gas companies is likely to only make that dichotomy more extreme.
A local issue
The strains of the pandemic have hit not just the waste management companies, but also the cities and regions who employ them, including in collection. Many regions in the U.S. were already cutting or eliminating recycling programs, particularly after China and other countries restricted or banned imports of foreign waste.
That trend now looks set to continue. The impact on public finances has made recycling programs vulnerable, while the shift from commercial to residential waste has challenged collection logistics, alongside worries that collection programs could spread the virus. While the EU's new waste tax policy will sharply restrict single-use plastics, cuts, delays or outright suspensions to recycling collection programs have been announced in the U.K., as well as U.S. cities from Denver to Anchorage, the report noted. Companies including Target and Whole Foods are trying t do their part, restricting or banning reusable cups, bags or other goods. But, given the new reality, such gestures may come up far short of what's needed.
Meanwhile, fresh gluts of PPE are not only not recyclable, but have been tainting waste collection, and have become a significant source of public litter, the analysts said.
The delayed momentum to restrict plastic has clear implications. According to a joint study from U.K. researchers released in July, at current "business as usual" rates, the pace of plastic entering the world's oceans will triple by 2040.