Environmental organizations initiate a boycott of disposable chopsticks

In recent months, an activity initiated by an environmental protection organization to counter the use of disposable chopsticks, "Save the Forest, Chopsticks Action" has begun to rise in Beijing. Disposable chopsticks have been loaded with safety concepts such as safety and hygiene. It has become the object of people's resistance.

In this process, disposable chopsticks are described as a waste of resources, vicious consumption, and even a symbol of resource plundering by some countries. But is the disposable chopsticks really terrible? Discarding rumors and retrieving the facts, we found that disposable chopsticks are only one component of contemporary consumer society, and it is only a detail of contemporary society's wood consumption.

Despite this, we still call for a review of the problems of “one-time living” in contemporary society and reducing the number of disposable chopsticks. In fact, the first industry-standard document “Food and Beverage Enterprise Management Regulations” formulated by China's catering enterprises was recently announced, “It is recommended that catering enterprises reduce the use of disposable chopsticks, paper cups, and other tableware”.

Cause How many chopsticks are you eating in a year?

According to statistics, China's annual export and domestic consumption of disposable chopsticks consume about 1 million cubic meters of wood and less than 40 million bamboos.

Since October 9th, Ma Lichao has been on the catering service website as part of his daily work. Under their advocacy, a campaign called "Save the Forest, Chopsticks Action" to boycott "disposable chopsticks" is being carried out on the Internet. Through the catering service website, he can see in time how many people are involved in the event. "From now on, the effect is not very satisfactory." Mali hopes that before the opening of the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing will have 2,000 catering companies to join the event.

China was the first country to use chopsticks as a unique feeding device. A legend pointed out that Yu Wang, the last king of the business, inadvertently invented chopsticks. In the past 20 years, disposable chopsticks have appeared in a large number of countries that create chopsticks. The use of such chopsticks was originally advocated to reduce the transmission of foodborne diseases. Now, it has become an indispensable tool in many people's lives.

However, the sharp increase in consumption has brought about a reflection on the disposable chopsticks' consumables. As the global environment deteriorates, people are paying more attention to ecological issues. As the cradle of human beings and the main body of terrestrial ecosystems, forests have become the focus of attention. Disposable chopsticks have also been criticized by many people for their substantial consumption of wood resources.

Searching for "disposable chopsticks" on the Internet, the results are shocking data: the annual production of disposable chopsticks in China consumes nearly 5 million cubic meters of forest resources. It accounts for 18% of the annual wood consumption. A tree that has been growing for 20 years can only make 3,000 to 4,000 chopsticks. This is unbearable to those who are enthusiastic about environmental protection. For China, where forest coverage is only 18%, the use of disposable chopsticks is undoubtedly a huge waste of resources.

So, which raw materials are used for disposable chopsticks? Previously, the State Forestry Administration conducted a survey on the production of disposable chopsticks and made a thorough understanding of the origin, production scale and material of disposable chopsticks.

Wang Zhiyou, director of the Management Department of the National Timber Industry Management Office of the State Forestry Administration, said that chopsticks and bamboo chopsticks are divided into disposable chopsticks. Among them, wooden chopsticks are mainly produced in the north, and the main producing areas are Daxinganling forest areas in Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia. In addition, Jilin is also an important production area for disposable wooden chopsticks. “The domestic disposable chopsticks output is 90% in these areas.” The disposable bamboo chopsticks are mainly processed in the south.

At present, the disposable wooden chopsticks on the market use a single species, mainly birch and poplar, and most of them are birch. Wang Zhiyou pointed out that the use of these two types of wood for the production of disposable chopsticks is related to the growth characteristics of the two trees. The northeastern region is relatively cold, and many species grow slowly.

Relatively speaking, birch and poplar are called pioneer species there and grow faster. The growth period of birch is generally about 100 days, and it can be used in 10-15 years. The material growth cycle of disposable bamboo chopsticks is shorter, generally 5-6 years. In fact, in the first year, the bamboo has been able to grow to about 2 meters, but the bamboo material at this time is not hard enough to be put into use. “It usually only takes 5-6 years to process into disposable chopsticks.”

The demand for disposable chopsticks has increased over the past few years. However, for the wood consumption of disposable chopsticks, Wang Zhiyou said that there is no basis for the so-called "5 million cubic meters" on the Internet. From the perspective of export, we can roughly understand the scale of China's disposable chopsticks industry: 4.8 million boxes of disposable wooden chopsticks are exported each year, with 5,000 pairs of chopsticks per box, and domestic consumption reaches about 5 million boxes, a total of about 10 million boxes. The disposable bamboo chopsticks export 2 million boxes, one box of 3000 pairs, domestic consumption is 20% more than exports, about 2.4 million boxes.

Usually, 1 cubic meter of wood can produce 9-10 boxes, so the disposable wood chopsticks industry consumes about 1 million cubic meters of wood a year. In the production of disposable bamboo chopsticks, every 10 bamboos can produce one box, which consumes nearly 40 million bamboo per year. However, Wang Zhiyou pointed out that in recent years, due to technological innovation, bamboo strips can also be developed and produced as disposable chopsticks. Therefore, the new situation is basically to produce one box of disposable bamboo chopsticks for every six bamboo.

Question 1 Reasonable use or a waste of resources?

Wood for making disposable chopsticks is included in the national production index of commercial materials, and they are made into other products even if they are not made into chopsticks. From the perspective of forest management, this is not a waste.

What is the concept of 1 million cubic meters of wood? Wang Zhiyou pointed out that each year, the State Forestry Administration has a logging index: the production of commercial materials is 66 million cubic meters, including more than 1 million cubic meters of wood for chopsticks.
In contrast, the proportion of disposable chopsticks that consume wood is not large.

In the eyes of environmentalists, most of the forest harvesting in the production process is based on the “one-lighting” type of cutting, which is a devastating harvest of forest resources. Since the production process of chopsticks is “round wood – wood block – finished product”, the effective utilization rate of wood is only 60%, and only 60% of the utilization rate can be one, two, three, etc. 60%, the work loss is quite large.

However, Wang Zhiyou pointed out that the Yanghua small-diameter wood with a diameter of 14-22 cm is basically a product of forest tending and cutting (removing mixed trees and overly dense young trees in the young forest stage to ensure the growth and development of young forests). In particular, poplar raw materials can also be replaced by plantations. The fast-growing materials such as birch and poplar have strong vitality. When the wind blows the seeds all over the place, you can thrive.

From the perspective of forest management, the production of disposable chopsticks is the scientific use of forest resources rather than waste. “The annual production is 66 million cubic meters, and the 1 million cubic meters of chopsticks are inside. Even if you don’t make chopsticks, it will be used for other products.” Wang Zhiyou believes that at this stage, the production and consumption of disposable wooden chopsticks can be Accepted.

In fact, China implements two-way control of the annual quota of total forest consumption and total production of commercial materials. The annual forest harvest is mainly based on the ecological balance point, and the timber production plan is not directly related to market demand. As a commodity, commodity materials are not processed into other wood products without the production of chopsticks. As for what products are processed, it is determined by the market. Therefore, disposable chopsticks are not a waste of wood resources.

Wang Zhiyou pointed out that the current policy tends to encourage the use of disposable bamboo chopsticks, while for disposable wooden chopsticks, it adopts a "disapproval policy." “The State Forestry Administration issued a document last year. The general content is that the existing disposable wooden chopsticks enterprises will be reorganized and no new wooden disposable chopsticks factories will be approved.” Since January 1, 2004, the state has cancelled The export tax rebate for wooden chopsticks continues to implement a 13% export tax rebate for bamboo chopsticks. The introduction of these policies is precisely related to the growth characteristics of bamboo.

In fact, bamboo has the characteristics of a short growth cycle. “After six years of natural growth of bamboo, if it is not put into use, it will yellow, crack and lose its use-value.” Therefore, making disposable bamboo chopsticks has become a way to deal with these materials.

Question 2 Does Japan not sell forest resources?

The production of disposable chopsticks requires a lot of labor, while the wage level of Japanese workers is 30-40 times higher than that of Northeast China. Excessive labor costs, rather than protection policies for domestic forests, have finally crushed the Japanese disposable chopsticks industry.

There has always been such a voice in China: Japan has the world's forefront, 69% of forest coverage, and countries with abundant forest resources, but rely on imports to solve the demand for disposable chopsticks, while China, where forest resources are scarce, is being cut down in large numbers. Forest trees produce disposable chopsticks in exchange for foreign exchange.
In this regard, Wang Zhiyou believes that this statement does not take into account the level of economic development of the two countries and is biased.

The production of disposable chopsticks requires a lot of labor, while the wage level of Japanese workers is 30-40 times higher than that of Northeast China. Excessive labor costs, rather than protection policies for domestic forests, have finally crushed the Japanese disposable chopsticks industry. Wang Zhiyou pointed out that in fact, Japan has been exporting timber. Last year, the country tried to export cedar to China. However, due to labor costs, the price of these timbers was high, which affected the trade.

And the differences in this industry have also become the reason for the pros who let the one-time chopsticks "exist". China's wood chopsticks processing enterprises are mainly distributed in the northeast forest area. Disposable chopsticks are labor-intensive industries, which can increase employment, promote the harmony of forest areas and economic development. A chopsticks production line processes 17 cubic meters of logs a day and can accommodate 70-80 labors. Nearly 100,000 people in the northeast forest area are engaged in the production of chopsticks. It takes only 16-18 people to produce 17 cubic meters of the sheet.

Wang Zhiyou pointed out that under the condition of low equipment and low technology, the industry with low cost and relatively large value-added disposable chopsticks has become a natural choice for forest areas. The disposable chopsticks industry is one of the most manpower projects in forestry processing projects. The workers in the wood chopsticks factory are the economic pillars of most families. “The northeast forest area is surrounded by mountains. The average wage of the local workers has not yet reached 370 yuan, and the female workers who make disposable chopsticks can earn 500 yuan.”

“If the economic level of the forest area is good in the future, we support not producing disposable chopsticks. However, at the current stage, disposable chopsticks can still be produced, especially bamboo chopsticks.”

Question 3 Is there a hidden danger in security?

In view of the currently hidden dangers of disposable chopsticks in the production, processing, packaging, and transportation, relevant national standards stipulate that disposable chopsticks should not detect coliforms and pathogenic bacteria, and disposable chopsticks are not allowed to be bleached with sulfur or chlorine water. Talc powder polishing.

The production and processing of disposable chopsticks must go through more than a dozen processes such as tree felling, cutting, and blanking. According to the requirements, it must be cleaned, high temperature or UV disinfected in the production process.

As a result, people can fulfill the expectations of hygiene and safety of disposable chopsticks. However, "black chopsticks" broke the user's psychological expectations.

In order to choose the cheapest material, moldy wood and bamboo are processed. Due to material defects, some producers use a lot of chemical pigments and additives to make the chopsticks look white and light. In order to make the chopsticks look good, they even added a lot of chemicals, smoked with sulfur, soaked, bleached with hydrogen peroxide and sodium sulfate, and then polished with talc.

In fact, the harm of sulfur dioxide to the human body has been confirmed by medicine. If the sulfur dioxide residue on the chopsticks is not cleaned, it will be inhaled with the flow of air and solidified in the respiratory tract, which will lead to diseases such as cough and asthma, which will damage people's respiratory function, and sodium sulfate, hydrogen peroxide and talcum powder will also be used. Harm the health of people. Because of them, the original "disposable chopsticks" that are hygienic and safe have become unsafe.

However, supporters of “disposable chopsticks” emphasize that every industry should have its own safety and quality assurance. The above-mentioned unsafe hidden dangers are only caused by non-standard production in this industry. We cannot squander food. In fact, disposable chopsticks also had a "national standard" two years ago. In view of the currently hidden dangers of disposable chopsticks in the production, processing, packaging, and transportation, the national standard "Disposable chopsticks part 2: bamboo chopsticks" (GB 19790.2-2005) of the disposable chopsticks series mandatory moisture and mildew prevention indicators, the mandatory water content is less than 10%, and the anti-fungal agent content should not exceed 10mg/kg. At the same time, the relevant standards stipulate that disposable chopsticks should not detect coliforms and pathogenic bacteria. The production of disposable chopsticks is not allowed to be bleached with sulfur, chlorine water or talcum powder.

More than 98% of the trees used in disposable chopsticks are fast-growing trees such as poplar and birch, and the utilization rate of raw materials in the production process exceeds 60%. Therefore, Wang Zhiyou believes that on the basis of comprehensively standardizing the production, processing, transportation, and use of disposable chopsticks, the company will vigorously develop “fast-growing and high-yield forests”, recycle wood, and provide resources for disposable chopsticks production, thus ensuring disposable chopsticks. Health and safety.

Question 4 Can health requirements be met?

When the health supervisors monitored the hygienic conditions of various tableware in the restaurant, they found that the hygiene of disposable chopsticks was relatively high. The results of monitoring the coliforms of various tableware showed that the pass rate of disposable chopsticks reached 56.25%, while the spoon used repeatedly was only 38.18%.

Between 1900 and 1907, a cook named Mary Malone worked as a chef at a restaurant in New York City. During her work, 22 people in the restaurant's diners were infected with typhoid fever.

A survey by the local health department found that Mary is most likely to be the source of the disease. Mary's typhoid fever spread through the “fecal-mouth route” and eventually led to local injury epidemics. This is the famous "Kyrgyz Mary" event.
According to Lin Gang, chief physician of the Health Supervision Bureau of Chongwen District Health Bureau, this is the most important case in the field of public health. “This example illustrates the importance of tableware hygiene.”

Lin Gang pointed out that if the disposable chopsticks are produced, packaged and transported according to the standards issued by the state, then they are still relatively safe to use.

In fact, there is still data available for the hygiene of disposable chopsticks. When the health supervisors monitored the hygienic conditions of various tableware in the restaurant, they found that the hygiene of disposable chopsticks was relatively high. The results of monitoring the coliforms of various tableware showed that the pass rate of disposable chopsticks reached 56.25%, while the reused cups were 41.15%, and the spoons were only 38.18%. "At present, there is no result in the research on hygiene that shows that disposable chopsticks may cause food-borne diseases." Lin Gang pointed out that once the disposable chopsticks are opened, they will hardly be reused, thus relative to the dishes. The probability of spreading the disease is small. In the production and packaging, the mandatory national standard does not allow the detection of coliforms and pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, it is safer than washing tableware in a small restaurant.

Question 5 Is there any waste without disposable chopsticks?

Some people have calculated such an account: repeated use of chopsticks requires additional cleaning and disinfection, using 50 liters of water per 1000 pairs of chopsticks, and 45 billion pairs of water need to consume 2.25 million cubic meters of water. The monthly water consumption of a medium-sized city equivalent to 750,000 people.

Since chopsticks are hygienic because they are disposable, why are dishes not disposable? In the view of environmentalists such as Mali, the so-called disposable chopsticks are just hygienic and safe. In most restaurants, dish cups are not disposable, only chopsticks are. It cannot provide health protection for users alone.

In this regard, Lin Gang and other supervisory law enforcement officials said that they have considered such issues. However, this situation also involves the issue of the economic cost of the enterprise. The dishes can also be disposable, but the cost is too high, the merchants are not willing, and they are distributed to the consumers, and consumers may not be willing.

Therefore, when discussing this issue, it is necessary to add a number of indicators such as resource consumption and operating costs. Manufacturers will count the accounts, and in the minds of catering operators, they also have an account. Two-phase trade-offs, one-time dishes can't bring benefits, and there is no market for no demand. Compared with the two, the disposable chopsticks obviously still have a market.

More importantly, some people have calculated such an account: repeated use of chopsticks requires additional cleaning and disinfection, according to the consumption of 50 liters of water per wash of chopsticks (about 3 times chopsticks volume), 45 billion pairs need to consume 225 Ten cubic meters of water. The monthly water consumption of a medium-sized city equivalent to 750,000 people. If 15 or 15 grams of detergent is consumed per 1000 pairs of chopsticks, 45 billion pairs need to consume 675,000 liters or 675 tons of detergent.

The amount of detergent used in a large city equivalent to 3.51 million people (the annual output of detergents in the country is 3 million tons and the population is 1.3 billion). This is also a small consumption.

Ma Lichao pointed out that the water bill for washing chopsticks must be counted, but in the production process of disposable chopsticks, it also requires water and electricity resources. If the two cannot be accurately counted, it is not certain that the chopsticks used repeatedly are more wasteful than the disposable chopsticks.

Opinion for sustainable development

The explanation of these questions does not satisfy the people who care about the environment. Ma Lichao said that taking the national standard of disposable chopsticks as an example, although it is a safety lock for disposable chopsticks, "the national standards do not cover all possible disposable chopsticks may be contaminated." To this end, An example is also given: In the monitoring of disposable chopsticks in Taiwan, the monitors found that many leaders and fluorescent agents were contaminated on disposable chopsticks during packaging. They all have an impact on the health of the user.

The idea of ​​producing disposable chopsticks without wasting wood resources is also unacceptable to Marley: “The key is to be recyclable.” In his view, occupying a large number of timber resources is only one aspect of disposable chopsticks in terms of waste of resources. “Disposable chopsticks occupy a small proportion of the total amount of wood used, but unlike other products that occupy forest resources, they occupy non-renewable resources.” Ma Lichao said that paper, furniture and the like took a long time. Or recycled, but disposable chopsticks are not recycled and reused in China.

In Japan, the recycling rate of disposable chopsticks is 99%. You can make an A4 paper or a postcard for every 30 pairs you recycle. “In our country, disposable chopsticks are treated like garbage, which is completely different from Japan.” Ma Lichao said that the current domestic technical level cannot achieve Japanese-style reuse of disposable chopsticks.

Both parties have seen this fact. Many people who support the use of disposable chopsticks also pointed out that Japan's approach can be used for reference in China, thus solving the accusation that disposable chopsticks occupy no renewable resources. However, due to the secondary use, it is necessary to clean the degreasing process, the production cost is high, the profit is low, and the enthusiasm of the enterprise is small. Therefore, the government should introduce corresponding support policies to encourage recycling. On the other hand, forestry enterprises should speed up the construction of high-yield forests, produce chopsticks and use artificial forests as raw materials, and improve production processes to increase the yield.

However, including Ma Lichao, almost all people who care about environmental protection are not just pointing to disposable chopsticks.

In fact, the “one-off lifestyle” brought about by modern consumption has extended to all aspects of our daily lives: disposable cups, disposable plastic bags... disposable items are everywhere, and these things should be seen in Mali’s Was "blocked." Disposable chopsticks are representative of this "non-environmental phenomenon". He stressed that it should start from the use of disposable chopsticks, let the public understand the problems of this consumption habit, and more importantly, change such consumption habits. All of this is to achieve sustainable development and to build a better home for mankind.

By Best Chopsticks