What government interventions are effective in regulating the use and recycling of high-standard mulch film in China?

The widespread use of ultra-thin mulch films has been considered the root cause of China’s difficulties in recycling waste mulch films and their severe residue and pollution. Therefore, environmental regulation to guide farmers to use and recycle high-standard mulch has become a key measure to prevent and control mulch pollution at the source. In this paper, we review environmental regulation measures for mulch pollution and their implementation characteristics in the northwest dry farming restoration region as a case study, and explore their impact on the use and recycling of high-standard mulch. ​The results show that China’s environmental regulations on mulch use and recycling can be classified into three types: guidance, incentives, and restrictions. However, the measures implemented so far primarily consist of guidance, while the restrictive and incentive regulations are inadequate. The percentage of farmers using and recycling high-standard mulch under environmental regulations is relatively high (88.18% and 79.83%, respectively), but there is still room for improvement. The study also reveals that while environmental regulations promote the use of high-standard plastic film and its recycling, not all measures are equally effective. Specifically, the implementation of measures such as benefits publicity, price subsidies, technical training, behavior supervision, and punishment mechanisms can be effective in improving farmers’ adoption of high-standard plastic mulch; publicizing the hazards of mulch residue, training on recycling techniques, establishing recycling sites, regulating recycling practices, and penalizing violations can effectively help increase the recycling rate of used mulch film. Finally, this study provides a valuable reference for improving regulatory policies for mulch pollution control.