Alexei Volkov
Plastic pollution is an ever-growing problem, with the world producing twice as much plastic waste as it did two decades ago. Despite this, only 9% of plastic waste is recycled, with the remaining 91% being incinerated, dumped in landfills, or polluting the environment. This waste often ends up in oceans, with one to two million tonnes of plastic entering our oceans each year, wreaking havoc on wildlife and ecosystems. While there are growing efforts to curb plastic pollution, the recycling system is flawed, and plastic production continues to rise, outpacing our ability to manage it.
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What You'll Learn
Plastic waste management
The Basel Convention, an international agreement, provides guidance for better management of plastic waste. It is the first international agreement to directly address the issue of plastic pollution. The convention offers technical guidelines on the environmentally sound management of plastic waste, aiming to reduce its negative impact on the environment and human health.
However, the current recycling system is deeply flawed. Most plastics are incompatible, making sorting costly and inefficient. Only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled globally, with half going straight to landfills and another fifth being mismanaged. Mismanaged waste refers to plastic that is not recycled, incinerated, or stored in sealed landfills, and it often ends up polluting the environment, including oceans, rivers, and lakes. This mismanagement is particularly prevalent in low-to-middle-income countries due to poorer waste management infrastructure.
To address the plastic waste crisis, a systemic change is required. This includes improving waste management strategies, such as increasing recycling rates and ensuring proper collection and disposal systems. It also entails a fundamental shift in our relationship with plastic, driven by policy and innovation. Flexible packaging, for example, is convenient but incredibly difficult to recycle due to contamination and complex composition.
Sustainable Management of Plastics is a systemic approach that promotes the environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable use and reuse of plastic throughout its lifecycle. By implementing such practices, we can work towards reducing the environmental and health impacts of plastic waste.
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Plastic waste in oceans
While the world has seen a rapid increase in plastic production, with an almost 230-fold increase in the last 70 years, only about 9% of the world's plastic waste is recycled. Half of the world's plastic goes straight to landfill, and another fifth is mismanaged, meaning it is not recycled, incinerated, or kept in sealed landfills. This mismanagement puts plastic at risk of leaking into rivers, lakes, and oceans.
The plastic waste that enters the oceans affects wildlife and ecosystems. It is transported by wind and rainwater runoff into drains, streams, and rivers, which act as plastic superhighways, carrying the waste to the sea. Some of the plastic sinks to the seabed, while buoyant plastics float on the surface, eventually forming large patches of plastic waste, such as the vortex of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii, which is thrice the size of France.
The accumulation of plastic in the ocean can be reduced by addressing the mismanagement of plastic waste, especially in Asian countries, which contribute a significant amount of plastic emissions to the ocean. Improving waste management strategies, such as recycling, incineration, and proper landfill disposal, is crucial to ending plastic pollution in the oceans. Additionally, reducing the use of plastic and single-use plastic items is essential to decreasing the amount of plastic waste that can potentially enter the oceans.
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Plastic recycling rates
The low recycling rates are due to a variety of factors. Firstly, plastic waste management strategies vary across the world, with incineration being high in Europe, while three-quarters of plastics in the United States go to landfills. Additionally, in low-to-middle-income countries, waste management infrastructure is often poorer, leading to higher rates of plastic waste ending up in the ocean. Furthermore, the complexity and incompatibility of different types of plastics make sorting and recycling costly and inefficient. Flexible packaging, for example, is convenient but difficult to recycle due to contamination and complex composition.
Some countries are leading the way in plastic recycling. South Korea, for instance, has an average recycling rate of 34%, while China recycled over 31% of its plastic waste in 2021. Within the EU, the Republic of Ireland and Germany are the top recyclers, with 20.70 kg and 19.98 kg of plastic waste recycled per capita each year, respectively. In comparison, the UK recycles just 17% of its annual plastic waste.
To improve plastic recycling rates, systemic change is required. This includes international cooperation, innovation, better product design, and the development of environmentally friendly alternatives. Policies to curb plastic leakage into the environment, such as taxes on single-use plastics, are already in place in over 120 countries but need to be more effective. Additionally, creating a separate and well-functioning market for recycled plastics is essential, as they are still often viewed as inferior to virgin plastic.
While recycling is an important part of the solution, reducing plastic consumption and improving waste management strategies are also crucial. Banning or taxing single-use plastics, implementing extended producer responsibility schemes, and encouraging the use of reusable alternatives can help reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste.
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Plastic waste in landfills
Plastic waste is a pressing global issue, with only 9% of the world's plastic waste being recycled. The remaining plastic waste is incinerated, landfilled, or mismanaged, contributing to environmental pollution. Landfills are a significant destination for plastic waste, and their management is crucial to prevent adverse environmental and health impacts.
The degradation of plastic waste in landfills releases harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through oxidative photodegradation, posing risks to both the environment and human health. Additionally, the formation and spread of microplastics from landfills are significant concerns. As plastic waste breaks down, it fragments into smaller particles, including microplastics, which can be transported by air and leachate to surrounding areas. These microplastics contribute to the accumulation of non-biodegradable pollutants, exacerbating health risks.
The ultimate fate of plastic in landfills remains uncertain, and there is no established method to determine whether it degrades, biodegrades, or remains stable. Landfills are designed to prevent any exchange with the surrounding environment, but degradation may lead to destabilization of the landfill's structural stability. Leachate recycling landfills aim to mitigate environmental harm by capturing and recycling aqueous leachate to prevent the release of harmful waste or degradation residues. Controlled contaminant release landfills allow for the gradual and monitored release of leachate to ensure no adverse environmental events occur.
To address the issue of plastic waste in landfills, it is essential to improve waste management practices and policies. While microbial degradation shows promise in managing plastic waste, reducing plastic use, reusing, and recycling are the best options. Separate collection and recycling of plastic waste are crucial, and when properly conducted, landfills can be a controlled option for plastic waste disposal. However, even properly managed landfills require ongoing monitoring, and the circular economy concept, where waste is minimized through reuse and recycling, is an ideal goal.
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Plastic waste incineration
Firstly, incineration contributes to air pollution by releasing toxic gases, heavy metals, and particles into the atmosphere. These emissions include dioxins, bisphenols, and phthalates, which are harmful to both human health and the environment. The release of these toxins can disrupt neurodevelopment, endocrine, and reproductive functions. Even state-of-the-art incinerators with toxin-capturing technology cannot completely prevent the release of these dangerous substances.
Secondly, incineration facilities are expensive to construct and operate, requiring substantial investments from communities. They need a continuous supply of waste to remain operational, which can result in a conflict of interest with recycling and composting facilities. Additionally, the energy produced from incineration is the most expensive among all energy sources.
Another issue with incineration is that it does not effectively solve the plastic pollution problem. As long as plastic production continues to increase, the amount of plastic waste will surpass the capacity for collection and incineration. This results in plastic waste leaking into rivers, lakes, oceans, and the environment, causing further pollution.
Lastly, incineration can encourage more plastic production to replace the burned plastic, leading to a continuous rise in total emissions. This cycle perpetuates the plastic waste crisis rather than providing a sustainable solution. Thus, it is essential to reduce plastic consumption, improve waste management strategies, and transition to renewable energy sources to address the global plastic crisis effectively.
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Frequently asked questions
Only 9% of plastic waste is recycled globally.
The remaining 91% of plastic waste is incinerated, landfilled, or polluting the environment.
Most plastics are incompatible, making sorting costly and inefficient. Flexible packaging is also incredibly difficult to recycle due to contamination and complex composition.
South Korea is among the top plastic recyclers, with an average of 34% of plastic waste recycled. China has the world's most extensive recycling capacity, with over 31% of plastic waste recycled in 2021.
