Disposable foam lunch boxes that have been discarded can be seen everywhere on the streets near Xiayuan Trading City.

Revocation of Disposable Foam Meal Boxes in Dispute

On May 1st, a disposable foam lunch box known as "white pollution" was lifted amidst various controversies. What is the response of the provincial capital market and what is the reaction of consumers? On May 5, the reporter investigated the provincial market and found that, except for a few street snack bar, many restaurants no longer use disposable foam lunch boxes. After the lifting of the ban, most businesses have become accustomed to using environmentally friendly lunch boxes, while most consumers refuse to use "white pollution".

Difficult to find foam lunch boxes in wholesale markets

On the morning of that day, the reporter visited the Jiancaoping Small Commodity Wholesale Market in Taiyuan City and found that only one disposable foam lunch box was available for sale in five adjacent shops selling lunch boxes, paper cups, hotel supplies, etc. not far from the entrance. There are three main types of lunch boxes: foam lunch boxes, biodegradable lunch boxes, and transparent sealed plastic lunch boxes. Among these lunch boxes, the cheapest one is the foam lunch box, priced at 0.09 yuan; Secondly, there is a biodegradable lunch box with a slightly darker color and a price of 0.3 yuan; The price of a transparent sealed plastic lunch box is 0.9 yuan. Do you have disposable foam lunch boxes? "" No, we have biodegradable lunch boxes and transparent sealed plastic lunch boxes, which are environmentally friendly and practical. Everyone buys these two types. "As for the lifting of the ban on disposable foam lunch boxes, the reporter asked all the way and received answers of" no "and" I don't know ". In a slightly closer store, the store owner stated that there are foam lunch boxes for sale, priced at 45 yuan and 5000 pieces. The boss said that since a few years ago, there have been fewer businesses making foam lunch boxes, and only those who open snack bar and small restaurants come to wholesale.

Foam lunch box for street snack bar

On both sides of the streets of Xiayuan Trade City, disposable foam lunch boxes can be seen everywhere, and nearby snack bar also use foam lunch boxes to pack food. For smaller snack bar, "cheap" is the main reason for choosing disposable foam lunch boxes. In a Chongqing snack bar near the Trade City, the waiter is packing rice and fried cake shreds. The disposable lunch box used for packing is just a foam lunch box. We have been using this type of lunch box to pack food, and if there is soup, we can use plastic bags directly, "the waiter said.

At another noodle shop, the waiter uses a disposable foam lunch box to pack noodles. We are all doing small business, and most of our customers are business owners and street shoppers in the commercial city. The lunch boxes cannot charge money, and using this disposable foam lunch box is less than ten cents per item, with low costs, "said the noodle shop owner.

The reporter visited fast food restaurants and restaurants such as Furong takeout, sauce noodles, and Shaxian snacks. Most shop owners were not aware of the news of the lifting of the ban on foam lunch boxes and stated that even if the ban on disposable foam lunch boxes was lifted, they would not use them. The staff of Xikuang Street Furong Delivery Shop stated that they have been using biodegradable tableware in recent years, with small charges of 0.5 yuan per unit and large charges of 1 yuan per unit. The company has not requested a replacement of the lunch box, and the biodegradable lunch box should continue to be used

At a sauce noodle shop on Heping North Road, Mr. Zhao, a citizen, had a meal and requested to pack it. The waiter took out a biodegradable lunch box to pack it for him. The shop owner introduced that many restaurants and hotels have now phased out foam lunch boxes. Foam lunch boxes are indeed the cheapest among all lunch boxes, but they are not of good quality and environmentally friendly, and we don't use them anymore

Most consumers are unwilling to use

For consumers, most people refuse to enter the "white pollution" market. Business owners in the commercial city have become accustomed to using disposable lunch boxes to pack their meals. Ms. Sun, the owner of the jewelry store, told reporters that she has been operating here for four to five years. The delivery staff have always used foam lunch boxes, and occasionally plastic lunch boxes. We are also concerned about the pollution of the foam lunch box, which can affect our health, but there is no way. Ms. Sun said that it is inconvenient to bring food every day, and ordering takeout is the most convenient. Even if we are worried about the quality of the lunch box, everyone does this, and she no longer worries too much.

Ms. Yang, an office worker, said that although each restaurant lunch box costs 1 yuan, the biodegradable lunch box is sturdy, durable, clean, and reusable.

In the interview, there were not a few citizens who shared the same ideas as Ms. Yang.

I will clean the food packaging box and continue to use it. A food box can be reused several times, which is quite cost-effective, "said Ms. Zheng, a citizen. The ban on foam food boxes has been lifted, and she is determined not to use them again.