Is a Future Without Plastic Possible

A future without any plastic at all isn’t realistic or even ideal. But we should work towards a future where we significantly cut down on plastic use and completely get rid of plastic pollution.

This article breaks down just how big the plastic waste problem is and looks at the political challenges that make it hard to tackle.

Why is plastic use so widespread?

Plastic is everywhere because it’s incredibly versatile—more so than any other material. You can use it for almost anything. It comes in all sorts of colors, strengths, shapes, weights, and it’s really durable. Plus, it’s cheap to produce because the fossil fuel industry gets subsidies.

Plastic isn’t just for consumer goods like electronics, cars, and toys. It’s also crucial for hygiene, like in surgical gloves and face masks. It protects things like food and medical supplies by keeping them safe from contamination. And it’s used for safety too, in things like bike helmets and electrical insulation.

But plastic pollution is a huge problem. The UN environment program says plastics make up nearly 85% of marine pollution, with about 75-199 million tons floating in our oceans. And production is expected to double in the next 20 years.

Plastic pollution is a serious threat to wildlife, especially in the ocean. Marine animals can ingest plastic, which can choke, injure, poison, or starve them. Plastic waste also clogs waterways, polluting the water and disrupting natural flows. If we don’t act urgently, plastic pollution will keep growing. By 2050, we might have more plastic in the ocean than fish, by weight.

Why does plastic pollution contribute to climate change?

Plastic isn’t just bad for wildlife; it’s also a big problem for climate change. As plastic use grows, so do greenhouse gas emissions. Back in 2015, emissions from plastics were around 1.7 billion tonnes of CO₂-equivalent (CO₂e). By 2050, they’re expected to hit 6.5 billion tonnes. The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that plastics will drive nearly half of the increase in oil demand by then.

Burning plastic waste is another issue. It’s common in places without good waste collection services and creates a lot of air pollution. According to a study by the UN High Level Climate Champions and the Royal Academy of Engineering, burning plastic produces 11% of global black carbon emissions. Open dumps and landfills contribute about 5-12% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.

We’ve got a long way to go. Only 15% of plastics are collected for recycling worldwide, and just 9% actually get recycled. Without serious action, plastic waste in our oceans is expected to nearly triple by 2040. Plus, parts of the recycling industry face big problems, including labor abuse and corruption.

The types of plastics keep getting more complex, which makes recycling even harder. New plastic varieties are emerging faster than governments can set up effective recycling systems.

Why is plastic waste still traded internationally?

Many countries are still sending their plastic waste to developing nations. While Europe has made some progress with its waste collection practices, it continues to export plastic waste to less developed countries, which isn’t good for the environment.

China used to be a major destination for plastic and other waste. But in February 2017, China cracked down on the types and quality of plastic waste it would accept with its National Sword Initiative. This led to a shift, with low-quality plastics being sent to other countries like India, Indonesia, and Turkey. Now, these countries are also starting to impose their own restrictions.

In 2021, the Basel Convention, a global agreement on waste trade, introduced strict limits on plastic waste exports. Countries that are part of the convention can now refuse to accept plastic waste and send it back to the country it came from.

These changes highlight the need for developed countries to cut down on plastic production, manage their plastic waste better, and simplify the types of plastics they produce to make recycling easier.

Why is it important to reduce plastic waste?

Plastic waste is really harmful to both human health and wildlife. Over 700 species are directly threatened by plastic pollution, mainly because they ingest plastic. For instance, seabirds eat plastic waste, which fills their stomachs and prevents them from feeding, leading to starvation.

Plastic breaks down into tiny particles called microplastics. These microplastics attract toxins in the ocean, which are then consumed by marine life and make their way up the food chain. It’s estimated that the average person ends up ingesting the equivalent of a credit card worth of plastic every week.

Microplastics can also enter the human body through inhalation and absorption, with unknown but likely harmful effects on our health. In countries with poor waste management, plastic waste can block waterways, create breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and contribute to flooding and disease.

Burning plastic waste adds to air pollution, which is particularly damaging to children’s health. In fact, every 30 seconds, someone dies from a disease linked to mismanaged waste.

The environmental impact of plastic is also significant. The greenhouse gases from producing, using, and disposing of plastic are expected to reach about 2.1 gigatons of CO2 equivalent by 2040, which would account for 19% of the global carbon budget.

Managing plastic waste is costly too. The global expense of handling municipal solid waste is projected to rise from $38 billion in 2019 to $61 billion by 2040 if we don’t take action.

Is a world without plastic waste possible?

We’re not going to get rid of plastics entirely because they’re so useful, but we can definitely aim for a world with less plastic waste and pollution. To make this happen, we need a coordinated global effort.

First, we need to cut back on making new plastics and make them easier to recycle. Right now, plastics are incredibly complex and often not designed for easy recycling.

Ideally, we should reduce the thousands of different plastics to just 10–20 key types that are easy to identify, sort, and recycle.

Of course, there are people who don’t want this change. Cutting back on new plastic production would hurt the profits of fossil fuel companies and impact businesses that rely on high-turnover models, like fast fashion or single-use items like disposable cups.

The politics of plastic pollution

We’ve really lost control over plastics, and it’s messing up our efforts to use them responsibly. Complicated national politics and powerful corporate interests are blocking effective international cooperation to cut down on marine plastic pollution. With all the mixed-up environmental policies and the strong lobbying from big plastic companies and global brands, it’s been tough to stop plastics from ending up in the oceans.

Can international law address the threat of plastic pollution?

There’s a growing global awareness that tackling plastic waste needs a worldwide strategy. Various agreements, like MARPOL and UNCLOS, have tried to deal with marine debris, but none have managed to stop plastic from flooding our oceans.

In February 2022, the UN Environment Assembly met in Nairobi, Kenya, and agreed to work on a legally binding treaty to address the plastic pollution crisis. This treaty aims to cover everything from plastic production to recycling, with specific targets to be set. The goal is to tackle both making and cleaning up plastic waste.

The treaty could also spark innovation for a safer, circular plastics economy and boost investment in reusable and recycled plastics rather than new ones.

Most importantly, a global treaty could help countries align their plastic waste policies, moving away from the current disjointed approach. This coordination is crucial for effectively managing plastic waste on an international scale.

Can we ban plastics?

Some single-use plastics might need to be banned because they’re unnecessary and pollute the environment. However, governments should be cautious about using bans as they can be a bit heavy-handed. Instead, careful planning should be the focus.

Banning plastics can be tough but effective. For instance, in 2022, France passed a law to ban plastic packaging for many fruits and vegetables, like carrots and bananas, and aims to phase out all single-use plastics by 2040.

Overall, we should focus on global agreements to reduce plastic waste and cut down on disposable items. Countries also need to invest in local recycling efforts, whether that means building industrial recycling plants in developed countries or supporting informal waste collectors in developing nations who recover recyclable plastics from landfills.

What can we do about all the existing plastic?

Dealing with existing plastic pollution is a huge challenge. All the plastic ever made is still out there, from the peaks of Mount Everest to the depths of the Marianas Trench.

The sheer scale of plastic pollution has led some people to suggest that we’re living in a new geological era called the ‘Anthropocene.’ This idea proposes that human activity has created such a significant impact on Earth’s environment that it deserves its own geological period, similar to the early Cretaceous or late Jurassic.

Efforts to clean up plastic waste from the oceans, like those by Ocean Cleanup, only tackle a small part of the problem. For example, the Pacific Garbage Patch has around 80,000 tonnes of floating plastic, but the world produces about 8 billion tonnes of plastic every year. Many plastics are scattered across the oceans and have broken down into tiny microplastics.

Intercepting plastic before it reaches the ocean could make a big difference. For instance, capturing plastic at the mouths of major rivers in countries like China and India could prevent a lot from entering the sea. Also, high-tech solutions aren’t the only answer. In developing countries, informal waste pickers play a crucial role. With around 20 million waste pickers globally, supporting and formalizing their work can significantly help manage waste.

Nigeria faces a severe plastic waste problem, with six of the world’s largest landfills and serious environmental and health issues due to river pollution. The GIVO (Garbage In Value Out) project, backed by Chatham House, is making a difference by providing modular containers for local plastic recycling. Each center can process up to 109,500 kilograms of plastic a year, and GIVO plans to set up 20,000 such centers. These centers will be run by women, giving them ownership and a stake in their work.

Also Read: Top Innovations in Plastic Packaging

Circular economy’s role in a plastic free future

Addressing plastic pollution is a big reason why we need to shift towards a circular economy.

In a circular economy, we move away from our current “take, make, throw away” model. Instead, we focus on redesigning products to be more durable, reusable, repairable, and recyclable, so they stay in use for as long as possible. This shift also means changing how we consume and rethink our approach to consumerism.

For plastics, a circular economy would mean moving away from single-use items and embracing options like reusable coffee cups or refill stations in supermarkets. It also means designing plastic products with recycling in mind—using specific types of plastic that are easier to recycle and avoiding harmful chemicals. The European Union is taking the lead on this, with a goal to make all plastic packaging fully recyclable by 2030.