World Environment Day 2023: Solutions to Plastic Pollution

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A giant panda statue made from plastic waste is on display in Shanghai, April 23, 2020, as part of the local efforts to raise public awareness of environmental conservation. /CFP

Proclaimed by the United Nations in 1972, World Environment Day is considered to be the biggest international day for the environment, and has been observed annually on June 5 since 1973 in a bid to "highlight that the protection and health of the environment is a major issue, which affects the well-being of peoples and economic development throughout the world," according to a UNESCO website.

An installation made from plastic waste is on display in Shanghai, April 23, 2020, as part of the local efforts to raise public awareness of environmental conservation. /CFP

According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the day has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach. And under the theme of "Solutions to Plastic Pollution," this year's edition calls for global solutions and actions to combat the increasing threat of plastic to the environment, inviting people from every corner of the earth to join the #BeatPlasticPollution campaign.

People volunteer to clean the beaches in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, September 11, 2021. /CFP

In China, great efforts have been made to fight plastic pollution over the past decades. With measures already in place – such as the restriction of the production, sale and use of certain plastics, the promotion of the development of degradable, recycle-friendly alternative products, and national-level environmental conservation awareness campaigns, individuals have also been responding to the call, trying to make a difference in this fight against plastic pollution.

Volunteers offer tourists biodegradable bags in exchange for their plastic bags in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, May 7, 2023. /CFP

Among one of the latest moves, volunteers from Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, offered tourists biodegradable bags in exchange for their plastic bags, in the hope of reducing the use of plastic bags and protecting their much-cherished local islands.

Volunteers offer tourists biodegradable bags in exchange for their plastic bags in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, May 7, 2023, as part of the efforts to promote the protection of local islands. /CFP