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The Value of China’s Legislation on Plastic Pollution Prevention in 2020

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 2021 45 citations

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Researchers reviewed China's 2020 wave of plastic pollution legislation passed after a 12-year legislative gap, arguing that while the regulations arrived late, they represent a meaningful and necessary step toward controlling the country's severe plastic pollution through legally binding production and usage restrictions.

It has taken 12 years since 2008, but China is finally strengthening plastic pollution prevention and control through legislation. In an effort to regulate and control plastic products, China's government amended and released a series of laws and regulations in 2020, possibly heralding the end of China's plastic pollution. China's plastic pollution legislation, while late, is a viable and right response to the severe environmental and ecology problem. Legislative progress in plastic pollution prevention has extended beyond China government's administrative capability but has also been an important step in the protection of the environment in the world.

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