Latest comments posted about "A sea of plastic" on ChinaDialogue en-gb http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/1011--A-sea-of-plastic- http://staging.chinadialogue.net/images/cdlogo.gif http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/1011--A-sea-of-plastic- There is a technology by the name of Imperforate Film Mulching Method for Crop Planting, simply as 'New Film Method', which can save arable land from white pollution. Nearly 20 years has witnessed the Chinese application of film mulching method, by which the topsoil is covered with plastic film in a way that both ends of the film, as a separator to keep the inside soil from the outside one, are buried perpendicularly into the soil, and through the opening on the film, the crops are planted. Because the film is buried too deep into the soil and entangles with the crop roots, it is hard to recycle them. In contrast, the imperforate film mulching method is a way to cover the topsoil with the film fixed by compacted soil on its ends when the crop is planted beside the film. By this method, the soil under the film is easy to keep moisture and heat, and is easy to absorb external moisture as well, which makes the crop growth not less than that by traditional mulching method. As the film is not buried deep into the soil, the crop and the film are separated from each other completely and the film can be all recycled, which stop the film from damaging the arable land while putting it in use. The film used in new film method is half of that in old method(half of the old film in width) with features of energy saving and emission reduction. Suggestions: the rural pollution by film is grim after the old method being taken, and more than half of the used film being mixed with the soil year after year. the old method is gradually destroying the arable land we live with even though it brings current high yield, which is really a gain for now but a loss in future! the film dirties our land and space when farmers throw them onto the ground, ditches and ramps beside their farmland. These are places for wild plants like weed that fits for cows and goats, but they are now unavailable. The scene of film entangling with powerwires, tree branches, shrubs and straws is disgusting and astonishing! To raise the food production, governments promote the old method that Chinese farmers had no idea of using them at first, and this results in a rising yield followed by the horrible white pollution. comparing with the happiness of the rising production, we should pay more efforts to come true the harmony between man and nature, and cherish more the arable land we live by. the arable land is a life line not just for farmers but for the whole nation because our clothes and food are made from it. It is needed to promote the new film method the way the old method was promoted, as the old habit of taking the old method by farmers dies hard. It will take too long a time of decades or even half a century to spread the new film method nationwide if we let the method run its own promotion. In such a long time of self-promotion, the film pollution will do a damage we can not reverse! zhangftacz （zhangftacz@163.com） Translated by Ming Li Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:34:30 -0500 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-7990 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-7990 The majority of membranes used for farming have traditionally been made from plastic, a material which is not degradable. They are left in the ground for many seasons and so influence the quality of the soil, its water permeability, and so on. If the membrane is exposed to fire, it produces harmful chemicals which directly pollute the nearby soil, air, and water sources. Although new research is being done regarding degradeable membranes, the cost is steep. This issue really is a headache as our agricultural resources are already limited, and if we don't protect good soil, what will we eat in the future? Please would the author present their opinions to the relevant departments as much as possible. Li Yang, Technical University of Munich. Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:14:15 -0500 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-7022 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-7022 Hi there, may I ask if the plastic membrane counts as white pollution？ Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:26:03 -0500 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-7019 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-7019 To prevent this nightmare of having no usable infield from coming true， governments need to work closely with each other and back up their verbal commitment by actions. However， it is not enough only to ask what governments can do to get rid of white pollution， we must ask ourselves what we as individuals can do to colour the earth green instead of white. Sun, 09 Dec 2007 00:38:19 -0500 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-5620 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-5620 In solving the problem of "white pollution", we should guide the public in using microorganism to break down plastic waste, instead of banning the use of high-tech products. Tue, 04 Dec 2007 03:35:05 -0500 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-5470 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-5470 Dear Mr. Jiang, I've read your article “A sea of plastic” and I strongly admire your thoughts for the country and the land. I suggest a new technique, namely “the lichen method”, which can put an end to the white pollution of arable land. I can explain the main issue: the use of plastic makes lichen cover the surface of crops and seeds, the resulting effects of the plastic membrane is the same. Lichen can complete the recycling process, the ripe lichen can recycle the crops from the beginning to the end, and can do it many times. It is eventually possible to sell the plastic waste, so there's no land pollution and it's possible to reduce the cost. The magic substance cited by Diana Zeng (MSN:qdkiwi@hotmail.com) is also inferior. The magic substance is good, but every year the peasants have to buy the plastic membrane and the whole country has to embed hundreds of thousands of tons of plastic into the land. In 2005 we had the patent to process books, but after two years it has not yet been approved. This is why technology will not achieve popularity and why the peasants of our land have to embed five hundred thousand tons of plastic into the land, not only wasting important natural resources, but above all polluting the soil. I hope the “lichen method” draws attention and increases support. zhangftacz （zhangftacz@163.com） Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:00:01 -0400 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-4467 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-4467 Before 1980, rat poison was sold illegally; now it's hard to see those who are selling it--in 2003 government took this seriously and took some measures to fight against those dealers, and the sellers stopped selling poison in the open air, the industry became an underground industry. So, we can see how the manipulation by politics and law is so effective. Now to deal with white pollution, it's not enough to depend solely on education among people and, even worse, on self-scrutiny--the development of self-scrutiny needs a long time and it would be too late to cover the losses by the time that most chinese are more aware. Only if the policy-makers realize the damage of white pollution can we stop it. There are two kinds of damage from white pollution: visual one and potential one. I deem the main damage is the deterioration of the environment. Plastics can stop the growth of grasses and trees. In my village, there is shallow land covered by water all year around; we can hear the croaking of frogs in summer night. Nowadays, the water has been covered by plastics, cutting the water from air, so the living things under water has died from suffocation, and we can no longer hear the croaking of frogs during summer nights. If such creatures like frogs would be wiped out from China's vast land, that would be a great pity.In China, we use the earth membranes to grow grains, as a result there are about 0.5 million tons agricultural membranes left over on the earth, which is the greatest white pollution. Times flies and we would finally lose our land on which we depend. To grow grains like this has no differences with the deeds like killing the hens for eggs. Thu, 27 Sep 2007 04:59:03 -0400 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-4455 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-4455 Things happen for a reason. Prohibition doesn't work, and the absence of controls don't work either. The shortcut is first to identify the issues to resolve. Wed, 12 Sep 2007 04:03:14 -0400 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-4383 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-4383 White pollution is more and more common around us. I believe we can only resolve the issue with better R&D, developing plastic bags and disposable lunch boxes that are degradable within a short period of time. Given the status quo, to simply abandon plastics is a way that'll never work! Sun, 26 Aug 2007 07:38:22 -0400 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-4250 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-4250 Peasants are not unconscious at all of the current unscientific production means of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. By instinct, they could judge any production means. But they cannot ensure the ownership of farmlands. Unlawful expropriation of farmlands and local distortion of polices made by the Central Government are commonplace in China. If you know you will lose your farmlands next year, do you think you will choose a production mean with a long-term yield. Thu, 24 May 2007 10:15:10 -0400 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-3742 http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/summary/1011#comment-3742