Plastic pollution could be slashed by 80 per cent by 2040 if countries and companies use existing technologies to make significant policy shifts and market adjustments, according to a new Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Environment Programme (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEP) report released last week.
¡°The way we?produce, use, and dispose of plastics is polluting ecosystems, creating risks for human health and destabilizing the climate,¡± said??Executive Director?.
¡®Roadmap¡¯ to slash plastic pollution
¡°This Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEP report lays out a roadmap to dramatically reduce these risks through?adopting a circular approach?that keeps plastics out of ecosystems, out of our bodies, and in the economy,¡± she said.
The?,?Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy, outlines the magnitude and nature of the changes required to end plastic pollution and create a sustainable circular economy that is friendly to humans and the environment.
Changing the system
The report proposes a system change achieved by accelerating?three key shifts ¨C reuse, recycle, and reorient and diversify?¨C and actions to deal with the legacy of plastic pollution.
Even with the measures above, 100 million metric tons of plastics from single-use and short-lived products will still need to be safely dealt with annually by 2040, the report found.
Finite timeframe
However, the report warned that time is of the essence. A five-year delay may lead to an increase of 80 million metric tons of plastic pollution by 2040.
Serving as a solutions-focused analysis of concrete practices, market shifts, and policies that can inform government thinking and business action, the report found that the highest costs in both a throwaway and circular economy, are operational.
With?regulation to ensure plastics are designed to fit a circular model, extended producer responsibility schemes can cover the operational costs of ensuring the system¡¯s integrity by requiring?producers to finance the collection, recycling, and responsible end-of-life disposal?of plastic products.
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