The Plastic Crisis: Discarded, Not Degraded

Plastic is everywhere. It's in our appliances, our packaging, our medical instruments, and our oceans. Plastic commercialization began with the Second World War and has grown all over the world within less than a century. The global annual production of plastic is more than 350 million tons, with some estimates reaching 460 million tons. While plastic has added value to our lives, it has also become an environmental pollutant, with 1-2 million tons of plastic entering our oceans yearly. This is due to the mismanagement of plastic waste, which includes the failure to recycle, incinerate, or store plastic in sealed landfills. As a result, plastic waste affects wildlife, ecosystems, and human health.

Plastic waste in oceans

Plastic waste is a critical issue threatening the health and safety of marine life. The World Economic Forum reports that plastic production has increased from 16.5 million tons in 1964 to 343 million tons in 2014 and is projected to double by 2036. As a result, a significant amount of plastic waste ends up in oceans, causing widespread pollution and endangering aquatic ecosystems.

The issue of plastic waste in oceans is a pressing environmental concern. It is estimated that there are approximately 165 million tons of plastic debris in the oceans, with an average of 8 million tons of plastic entering the oceans each year. This includes macroplastics, such as bottles, bags, and fishing nets, as well as microplastics, which are tiny particles less than five millimeters long from cosmetics, fabrics, or the breakdown of larger pieces. Marine creatures often mistake plastic for food, unknowingly ingesting them or becoming entangled, leading to their death.

The sources of oceanic plastic pollution vary, with Asia being the leading contributor. China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand are among the top emitters, with China alone accounting for 2.4 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste. Rivers are also significant pathways for plastic waste to enter the oceans, with the Yangtze, Indus, Yellow River, Hai, Nile, Ganges, Pearl River, Amur, Niger, and Mekong being major conduits.

The impact of plastic waste in oceans is far-reaching and detrimental. Plastic pollution has been found in most marine habitats, including the deep sea, Great Lakes, coral reefs, beaches, rivers, and estuaries. It accumulates in gyre regions, forming large garbage patches. As plastic breaks down, it creates microplastics that are ingested by marine life, potentially entering the human food chain. The ingestion of plastic can lead to suffocation and starvation in marine creatures, threatening their survival.

Addressing the issue of plastic waste in oceans requires a multi-faceted approach. It involves reducing plastic production and consumption, improving recycling practices, implementing policies to ban single-use plastics, and promoting reusable alternatives. Collaboration between governments, industries, scientists, non-governmental organizations, and consumers is essential to tackle this global issue effectively.

Plastic waste exports

The Basel Convention Plastic Waste Amendments, which came into effect on 1 January 2021, restrict exports of plastic waste. The U.S. must now respect the laws of other countries and stop exporting its plastic waste. The Waste Plastic Exports List in Australia also regulates the export of specific types of waste plastic, and exporters must notify the department of their intention to export before their first consignment.

Despite these efforts to regulate plastic waste exports, the trade still persists. Vietnam is the world's leading exporter of plastic waste, with 136,752 shipments, followed by Mexico with 43,674 shipments, and the United States in third place with 25,872 shipments. India is also a significant exporter of plastic waste, with 2,872 shipments made from March 2023 to February 2024, and the top destinations for these exports include the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

The plastic waste export business is a lucrative one, with companies utilising strategic filters and price analysis tools to identify hidden opportunities and maximise profits. However, the environmental and social impacts of this trade cannot be ignored. Plastic waste often ends up in landfills or natural environments, where it can take up to 500 years to decompose, leaking pollutants into the soil and water and threatening the health and safety of marine life.

Plastic waste imports

Plastic production has increased exponentially since mass production began in 1950, growing from 2 million metric tons in 1950 to 343 million in 2014 and reaching 8.3 billion tons in 2015. As of 2017, the total amount of plastic ever made was 8.3 billion metric tons.

The cumulative plastic waste amassed since 1950 is 6.3 billion metric tons. Twelve per cent of this has been incinerated, and nine per cent recycled, with the remainder ending up in landfills or natural environments.

In 2019, 187 countries agreed to restrict international trade in plastic waste to help address improper disposal and reduce plastic leakage into the environment. The Basel Convention, effective from 1 January 2021, controls transboundary shipments of most plastic scrap and waste for the first time. This has impacted the United States' exports and imports of plastic recyclables as many of their trading partners are parties to the Convention.

Under the Basel Convention, plastic scrap and waste are divided into three categories. The first covers non-hazardous plastic scrap and waste, including contaminated shipments. The second covers hazardous plastic waste. The third covers pre-sorted, clean, uncontaminated plastic scrap destined for environmentally sound recycling. The first two categories require the importing country's written agreement before exports can be shipped.

In 2023, the Netherlands was the largest importer of plastic waste, with over five million metric tons, followed by Turkey, which imported around 623,000 metric tons.

Mismanaged plastic waste

Plastic production has skyrocketed since mass production began in 1950, growing from 2 million metric tons in 1950 to 380 million metric tons in 2015. As of 2015, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic had been produced since 1950. Plastic waste has three fates: recycling, thermal destruction, and landfills.

In 2015, 60 to 99 million metric tons of MPW were produced globally. In a business-as-usual scenario, this figure could triple to 155–265 million metric tons by 2060. The future MPW load will continue to be disproportionately high in African and Asian countries. This is due to high rates of plastic waste generation combined with inappropriate waste management infrastructures, which result in significant volumes of plastic waste leaking into the environment.

The impact of MPW on plastic transport variability is often overlooked in favour of focusing on hydrometeorological factors. However, strong correlations have been observed between MPW and macroplastic pollution.

Plastic waste recycling

Plastic is one of the most popular and useful materials in modern times, with around 300 million tonnes produced each year. However, plastic waste is a significant issue, with much of it ending up in landfills, the ocean, and other natural environments. As of 2015, 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste had been generated since the start of plastic production in the 1950s, with only about 9% recycled and less than 1% recycled more than once. The rest has been incinerated, sent to landfills, or polluted natural environments.

The plastic recycling process can be broken down into several steps: collection, sorting, cleaning, shredding or melting, and moulding. Collectors from the government or private companies gather post-consumer plastic waste from various sources, such as homes, schools, and other institutions. The plastic waste is then sorted into different types, usually based on colour and polymer type, to ensure all contaminants are removed. Once sorted and cleaned, the plastic can be shredded into flakes or melt-processed to form pellets before being moulded into new products.

Some types of plastic are easier to recycle than others. For example, plastic bottles are typically made from PET or HDPE, which are widely recycled. On the other hand, many products are made from a combination of plastics or a mix of plastics and other materials, such as metal or wood. These mixed-material items often cannot be processed in standard recycling facilities and end up as waste. Additionally, certain types of plastic, such as PVC, are not commonly recycled due to the toxicity of the processing.

To improve plastic waste recycling, it is essential to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic products as much as possible. This can be achieved through policies banning plastic bag use, requiring bottle deposits, and expanding recycling programmes. Public awareness and education about plastic recycling labels and proper waste sorting can also contribute to a cleaner, more sustainable future.

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