WITHtwo truckloads per minute – that’s how much plastic waste ends up in the world’s oceans, according to estimates. How much plastic has already accumulated in the oceans in this way in recent decades cannot be precisely quantified. According to the WWF, it could be between 86 and 150 million tons. And the end has not yet been reached: With low recycling rates and steadily increasing production, another 53 million tons of plastic could end up in the environment every year by 2030.
An agreement by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is now intended to put a stop to this. At the beginning of March in Nairobi, UNEA President Espen Barth Eide used a hammer made of recycled plastic to seal the plan to initiate negotiations for a legally binding global agreement against plastic waste in the environment. It is already being celebrated as the most important decision since the Paris climate agreement. The specific content will only be negotiated by the end of 2024. What would these have to look like in order to be able to take effective action against environmental pollution?
Garbage isn’t just a problem in the sea
Two draft resolutions had been submitted in advance. Japan had presented a proposal focused on tackling marine plastic pollution. Ultimately, however, the mandate adopted was more closely based on a draft submitted by Rwanda and Peru, which envisages curbing plastic waste not only in the sea but also on land. Sebastian Unger, who heads the research group “Governance of the Oceans” at the Institute for Transformative Sustainability Research (IASS) in Potsdam, thinks it makes sense. “Plastic waste is a complex environmental problem that also includes areas such as agriculture or tire abrasion from road traffic. That is why it is very gratifying, not least for the seas, that no pure marine waste agreement is planned.”
Instead, the entire life cycle of plastic should be taken into account. For the intended circular economy, however, the recycling capacities would have to be increased significantly. Currently, only about ten percent of the plastic waste generated worldwide is recycled. About 14 percent were burned. The rest ended up in landfills or directly in the environment. “In order to develop a safe circular economy for plastic, there is still a big gap to be closed,” says Unger. The new agreement must set clear goals for this.
It doesn’t work without a functioning waste disposal system
Industry also supports the idea of increasingly recycling plastics and using them again. A more sustainable product design could contribute to this, in order to obtain plastics that are easier to recycle if possible, says Sven Weihe from Plastics Europe Germany, the association of German plastics producers. In addition, the industry is making targeted investments in chemical recycling, with which new raw materials can be obtained from old plastics. In other regions of the world, more fundamental measures must first be taken. As far as bans on single-use items such as plastic bags are concerned, many African countries acted earlier and more decisively than the EU, for example. However, there is still a need for expansion in the Global South when it comes to the collection and separation of waste. “We urgently need to ensure that better waste management systems are in place all over the world,” says Weihe. This is the only way to prevent plastic waste from being released into the environment.
“There are different responsibilities in relation to environmental pollution and also different requirements for taking action against it,” says Sebastian Unger from the Potsdam IASS. The agreement must therefore be backed up with ambitious national implementation plans. In addition, according to the expert, the countries of the Global South should not be left alone with the task.