The empty paper boxes left after drinking milk could only be sold as waste paper. According to the industry price of about 70 cents per catty in Beijing, each empty milk box weighs 15 grams, which means that about 33 empty milk boxes can be sold for 70 cents.
But recently, the price of milk cartons on a second-hand platform has increased by more than dozens of times compared with the price of waste paper recycling. The price of 50 cleaned and dried milk cartons is priced at 30 yuan, and the average price of a milk carton is about 60 cents, making it the most expensive paper in waste paper recycling. Surprisingly, many consumers across the country buy it, with huge market potential.
Empty milk cartons sold on second-hand platforms.
In the huge supply and demand market, any transaction can occur. The transaction itself should not be the focus of our attention. There are some hidden and extraordinary "demands" behind the market and the deep-seated reasons for these "demands"., are the focus we should explore and discuss.
Exploring the reasons why the sales of empty milk cartons in the second-hand market are "popular", we found that many schools across the country require students to bring a specified amount of used milk cartons every month for the purpose of environmental education, and use it as a way to practice low-carbon after-school homework for lifestyle. These hard "requirements" have also gradually reduced environmental education to a "way to make money" for some people: because some students cannot complete the task of collecting quantity, parents have to buy "homework" online, which in turn has given rise to the phenomenon of hot sales of milk cartons in the second-hand market.
There are also reasons to choose empty milk cartons as a tool for environmental education. Because its paper-plastic-aluminum composite paper packaging has been professionally recycled and processed, 100% can be recycled, which not only fully meets environmental protection requirements and will not cause secondary pollution, but also achieves good circular economic benefits.
According to data from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment's special study on the construction of "waste-free cities""","Precise Quality Recycling Technology of Paper-Plastic and Aluminum Composite Packaging Materials", for every 1 ton of beverage paper-based composite packaging recycled, 750 kilograms of recycled pulp and recycled plastic can be obtained. 200 kilograms and 50 kilograms of recycled aluminum powder save resources equivalent to protecting 12 trees, saving 0.8 tons of oil and reducing 3 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, raw materials are recycled and processed to make recycled paper, stationery, desks and chairs, etc.
However, the actual situation of milk carton recycling is not optimistic. According to a survey by environmental protection organizations, the total annual sales volume of paper-based composite packaging in my country reaches 60 billion pieces, but the recycling rate is less than 20%. Based on this, recycling advocacy activities for paper-plastic-aluminum composite paper packaging such as milk cartons have been launched in society. In this sense, the actions of many schools to call on students to recycle "empty milk cartons" have very positive significance. It not only helps students establish a "low-carbon" concept and protect the environment through practical actions, but also provides families with a recycling channel.
However, if we change from advocating students to establish environmental awareness to a "formalized" and "strong requirements" homework task indicator, then we will put the cart before the horse. It will not only be detrimental to truly cultivating children's environmental awareness, but also cause waste of resources and invisibly increase environmental pressure. For example, some children don't like to drink milk, but in order to collect cartons, consume and purchase them to complete tasks, they may even cause food waste; for consumers who discover second-hand market channels, purchasing used cartons online requires logistics and transportation. This process will also generate corresponding carbon emissions.
The fundamental and deep-seated reasons behind this incident are inseparable from teaching formalism. This phenomenon reflects the formalism tendency in teaching reform. In the process of pursuing new teaching models, some school teachers and managers may overemphasize the form of expression and the display of educational results, while ignoring the essence and purpose of teaching. This will not only put a burden on students and parents, but will also be detrimental to the correct guidance of children's thoughts and concepts, and the quality of teaching will also decline accordingly.
To solve this problem, we need to return to the essence of teaching, avoid the formalism of "old wine in new bottles", and make teaching closer to the real needs and development of students. Teachers should pay more attention to the concepts behind teaching methods to ensure that students can grow in meaningful learning activities, rather than simply pursuing innovation in instructions.
As far as "green education" activities such as recycling old milk cartons and raising environmental awareness are concerned, there can be better arrangements: for example, setting up recycling and sorting garbage cans in the classroom, teaching students the correct classification methods, and checking them in groups. Practice; add environmental protection content to the classroom, teachers select environment-related topics such as air pollution and water waste to explain and organize student exchanges and discussions; Students can also be organized to visit and inspect some units where environmental protection facilities are open to the public, so that children can have a close understanding of environmental protection knowledge... Only by stimulating students 'interest in environmental issues through diverse and effective teaching methods can they be guided to actively participate. Go to actual environmental protection actions, rather than "empty" efforts on such stale environmental protection homework.