Zero plastic pollution is a vision of many environmentalists that seems nearly impossible for others. Scientists claim that by 2040, about 1.3 billion tons of plastic waste will fill the Earth if worldwide action is not taken.
The staggering figure is a global projection in a study published in the journal Science. Dr. Costas Velis from the University of Leeds in the UK leads the team to evaluate scenarios that could result in zero plastic pollution since there are modern technology and the opportunity to stem the tide.
The study is the first comprehensive assessment of what plastic pollution can look like 20 years from now, shared Dr. Velis. "It's difficult to picture an amount that large, but if you could imagine laying out all that plastic across a flat surface, it would cover the area of the UK 1.5 times."
He describes that their model is complex because plastic is found anywhere and everywhere. Different parts of the world also deal with plastic waste differently, with some countries already banning plastic products while others have no such environmental policies. Their model aims to simplify that reality to come up with the numbers.
'Business as Usual'
Based on the production, use, and disposal of plastic worldwide, they were able to calculate and forecast possible scenarios. The 'business as usual' scenario depicts the current practices of plastic production without significant changes in recycling or reuse of products.
With a few adjustments of parameters, the team could project the differences that various interventions would make. These included increased recycling, less plastic production, and the use of alternative materials.
Another growing problem is the presence of microplastics in the air and oceans. It has even been found in the Antarctic ice and is carried almost anywhere, including isolated nature parks, via the rain or wind.
Waste-Pickers
Despite feasible action, Dr. Velis shared that there would still be around 710 million tons of plastic in the environment in 20 years. One of the most concerning issues is that approximately 2 billion people in the Global South do not have proper waste management. Most plastic waste is burned or dumped on land or in water.
The people that have a significant impact on reducing plastic waste are waste pickers. Around 11 million people work to collect and sell reusable plastic in low-income nations.
Dr. Velis said, "the millions of waste pickers are the unsung heroes of recycling--without whom the mass of plastic entering the aquatic environment would be considerably greater." However, they lack fundamental employment rights and safe working conditions, so they need policies to support the role they play in solving the problem of plastic waste.
Professor Jamie Woodward from the University of Manchester shared about the role of plastic during the pandemic. "Plastic has kept many frontline workers safe through this," he said. "But PPE waste over the next decade could be horrendous."
Greater than a production problem, what needs to change radically, is human behavior.
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