Contaminated Plastic's Cost: Environmental And Economic Impact

Plastic pollution is expensive. The social and environmental costs of plastic are estimated at USD 300-460 billion per year. This includes the health costs stemming from associated emissions, air pollution, and exposure to hazardous chemicals, as well as the cost of ocean clean-up and lost marine ecosystem services. The lifetime cost to society, the environment and the economy of plastic produced in 2019 alone was US$3.7 trillion. Marine plastic pollution can create huge economic costs in the form of gross domestic product (GDP) reductions, estimated at up to US$7 billion for 2018 alone. Plastic that is contaminated by other waste is difficult to clean and sort, and there is a lack of adequate local infrastructure and technology to collect, sort, and recycle plastic products.

The cost of cleaning up contaminated plastic is estimated at USD 300-460bn per year

Plastic pollution is expensive. The social and environmental costs of plastic are estimated at USD 300-460bn per year. This includes the health costs stemming from associated emissions, air pollution, and exposure to hazardous chemicals, as well as the cost of ocean clean-up and lost marine ecosystem services. With microplastics now being found in human blood, the health consequences of plastic pollution are yet unknown, and the true cost could be significantly larger.

A new report by Dalberg, commissioned by WWF, reveals that the lifetime cost to society, the environment, and the economy of plastic produced in 2019 alone was US$3.7 trillion, more than the GDP of India. Unless action is taken, this cost is set to double for the plastic produced in 2040.

Marine plastic pollution can create huge economic costs in the form of gross domestic product (GDP) reductions, estimated at up to US$7 billion for 2018 alone. This is driven by the loss in revenue from tourism, fishing, aquaculture, and other industries. Marginalised communities disproportionately bear the cost of the plastic lifecycle. Incineration plants and oil and gas refineries are built predominantly in low-income and marginalised communities, exposing them to health and economic risks.

Mechanical recycling can be profitable, but it requires significant investment in technology and infrastructure, to the tune of roughly USD 32bn globally between 2021 and 2040. Extended producer responsibility systems (EPR), which assign the costs of collecting, managing, and treating plastic waste to the producer, have been found to be especially effective when coupled with economic incentives and fines.

The lifetime cost to society, the environment and the economy of plastic produced in 2019 was US$3.7 trillion

Plastic may seem cheap, but its real cost is much greater than we realise. The lifetime cost to society, the environment and the economy of plastic produced in 2019 was US$3.7 trillion. This is more than the GDP of India and, unless action is taken, this cost is set to double for the plastic produced in 2040.

The social and environmental costs of plastic pollution are estimated at USD 300-460bn per year. This includes the health costs stemming from associated emissions, air pollution, and exposure to hazardous chemicals, as well as the cost of ocean clean-up and lost marine ecosystem services. With microplastics now being found in human blood, the health consequences of that are yet unknown, and the true cost could be significantly larger.

Marine plastic pollution can create huge economic costs in the form of gross domestic product (GDP) reductions, estimated at up to US$7 billion for 2018 alone. This is driven by the loss in revenue from tourism, fishing, aquaculture and others. Marginalised communities disproportionately bear the cost of the plastic lifecycle. Incineration plants and oil and gas refineries are built predominantly in low-income and marginalised communities, exposing them to health and economic risks. Informal waste pickers are also exposed to significant health risks throughout the plastic waste processing cycle.

Plastic that is contaminated by other waste and products composed of different materials is difficult to clean and sort, and there is a lack of adequate local infrastructure and technology to collect, sort, and recycle plastic products. Mechanical recycling can be profitable, but it requires significant investment in technology and infrastructure, to the tune of roughly USD 32bn globally between 2021 and 2040.

Marine plastic pollution can create huge economic costs in the form of GDP reductions, estimated at up to US$7 billion for 2018 alone

Marine plastic pollution can create huge economic costs in the form of gross domestic product (GDP) reductions. In 2018 alone, the cost of plastic pollution was estimated at up to US$7 billion. This is driven by the loss in revenue from tourism, fishing, aquaculture and other industries.

The social and environmental costs of plastic pollution are estimated at USD 300–460 billion per year. This includes the health costs stemming from associated emissions, air pollution, and exposure to hazardous chemicals, as well as the cost of ocean clean-up and lost marine ecosystem services. With microplastics now being found in human blood, the health consequences and true cost of plastic pollution could be significantly larger.

A report by Dalberg, commissioned by WWF, reveals that the lifetime cost to society, the environment and the economy of plastic produced in 2019 alone was US$3.7 trillion. This is more than the GDP of India. Unless action is taken, this cost is set to double for the plastic produced in 2040.

Mechanical recycling can be profitable, but it requires significant investment in technology and infrastructure. This investment is estimated to cost roughly USD 32 billion globally between 2021 and 2040. Extended producer responsibility systems (EPR), which assign the costs of collecting, managing, and treating plastic waste to the producer, have been found to be especially effective when coupled with economic incentives and fines.

Mechanical recycling of contaminated plastic can be profitable, but it requires significant investment in technology and infrastructure

The cost of plastic pollution is expensive. Currently, the social and environmental costs are estimated at USD 300–460 billion per year. This includes the health costs stemming from associated emissions, air pollution, and exposure to hazardous chemicals, as well as the cost of ocean clean-up and lost marine ecosystem services. With microplastics now being found in human blood, the health consequences of that are yet unknown, and the true cost could be significantly larger. Marine plastic pollution can create huge economic costs in the form of gross domestic product (GDP) reductions, estimated at up to US$7 billion for 2018 alone. This is driven by the loss in revenue from tourism, fishing, aquaculture, and other industries. Marginalised communities disproportionately bear the cost of the plastic lifecycle. Incineration plants and oil and gas refineries are built predominantly in low-income and marginalised communities, exposing them to health and economic risks. Informal waste pickers are also exposed to significant health risks throughout the plastic waste processing cycle.

A new report by Dalberg, commissioned by WWF, reveals that the lifetime cost to society, the environment, and the economy of plastic produced in 2019 alone was US$3.7 trillion—more than the GDP of India. Unless action is taken, this cost is set to double for the plastic produced in 2040. As it stands, humanity now produces more than 200 million tonnes of plastic waste annually.

Prices for recycled polypropylene also show interesting trends. The cost for #5 PP plastic was between $2.13 and $10.61 per ton. Many factors, like raw material availability and market needs, drive this range. Even with challenges from contamination and economic factors, there’s room for growth and new ideas in polypropylene recycling.

The cost of #5 PP plastic was between $2.13 and $10.61 per ton

Plastic may seem cheap, but its real cost is much greater than we realise. The lifetime cost to society, the environment and the economy of plastic produced in 2019 alone was US$3.7 trillion – more than the GDP of India. Unless action is taken, this cost is set to double for the plastic produced in 2040.

Mechanical recycling can be profitable, but it requires significant investment in technology and infrastructure, to the tune of roughly USD 32bn globally between 2021 and 2040. Extended producer responsibility systems (EPR), which assign the costs of collecting, managing, and treating plastic waste to the producer, have been found to be especially effective when coupled with economic incentives and fines. In Italy, EPR systems had a significant impact on recycling.

Marine plastic pollution can create huge economic costs in the form of gross domestic product (GDP) reductions, estimated at up to US$7 billion for 2018 alone. This is driven by the loss in revenue from tourism, fishing, aquaculture and others. Marginalised communities disproportionately bear the cost of the plastic lifecycle.

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