6. Solutions to the plastic waste crisis

In an earlier piece, we looked at causes of the plastic waste crisis. One key cause was the ongoing and rising amount of plastic production to make new things. Another was the fact that collection and recovery infrastructure is unable to deal with the levels being produced. The gap is widening: in the past 10 years, plastic production has increased 20 times morerapidly than the collection and recycling capacity.

These fundamentals are reflected in the fact that multiple solutions are required: there is no one silver bullet solution to the plastic crisis.On the one hand, it is essential that we work to ‘turn off the tap’. We need to stop producing and using as much plastic. Whether that’s through reducing or eliminating unnecessarily plastics, substituting plastic packaging to alternative materials, or adopting more effective reuse systems for plastics. This area needs huge investment.

Embracing the “circular” or “circular economy” principles is another lens through which to address the plastic crisis. Circular systems involve minimal inputs and minimal waste – instead resources are reused and recycled. Circular design involves creating products and packaging with end-of-life considerations in mind, so that materials can be reused, recycled, or composted at the end of their life cycle. In the case of plastic, more circular systems would see the decline in demand for ‘virgin’ (new) plastics in favor of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics.

Simultaneously, investment in recycling and recovery infrastructure is essential to ensure that existing plastic waste is prevented from leaking into the natural environment. Even with far-reaching bans and reductions in plastic use, plastic pollution will not disappear quickly. In fact, it’s estimated that even if all current plastic waste targets and commitments are met, plastic waste leaking into oceans will still more than double between now and 2040.

Building and enhancing waste management infrastructure, including simple collection and sorting systems as well as recycling capacity, can make a huge difference in ensuring that plastic waste is managed responsibly and efficiently.

Ultimately, addressing the plastic crisis requires a coordinated and collaborative effort from all sectors of society, including governments, businesses, and individuals. By working together to implement reduction strategies, invest in recycling infrastructure, and promote circular economy principles, we can create a more sustainable future where plastic waste is minimized, and the planet is preserved for future generations.

And - postponing decisive actions will just make the financial burden of addressingthe plastic crisis worse (a concept known as the "time value of plastic action”). For example, a delay of five years in taking action could result in an additional 80 million tons of plastic leakage by 2040, making the cost to tackle the additional waste even greater. In the next article we will look in more detail at the importance of reduction and the role of international agreements in creating momentum behind this shift.