Plastic is a part of our daily lives, from the computer I write this article on to the phone sitting by it. Global plastic production was 400.3 million metric tons in 2022, a 1.6 percent increase from 2021. If current plastic production trends continue, around 12,000 metric tons of plastic waste will end up in landfills or the environment by 2050, according to a 2017 study.
The recycling rate in 2021 was only five to six percent, but the per capita production of plastic waste increased by 263 percent since 1980. There are several reasons for the low recycling rate. Most plastics can’t be collected, processed, and remanufactured into new products. Some plastic types have no viable markets.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are the only two types that have viable markets. They are called plastics #1 and #2 in the Resin Identification Codes. Few municipal recycling programs collect plastics with RICs of #3 to #7 but do not recycle them. They either incinerate them or send them to landfills.
A study projected that plastic use could nearly triple by 2060, and so could plastic waste. Half of that waste will end up in landfills, and less than a fifth will be recycled. Recycled plastic will make up 12 percent of all plastics. Greenhouse gas emissions from the lifecycle of plastics will increase by more than half. Other environmental impacts, such as human toxicity and ozone formation, will also double.
The PlastChem Report showed that over 16,000 chemicals are in plastics. At least 26 percent have known high hazards to human health and the environment. Over 400 chemicals are present in every major type of plastic, including food packaging. All plastics tested leached hazardous chemicals dangerous for humans and wildlife that ingest plastic particles, also known as microplastics.
The Dangers of Microplastics
Studies show that microplastics are everywhere. Orb Media research found that one plastic water bottle can hold dozens or thousands of microplastic particles. Researchers discovered a global average of 10.4 plastic particles per liter. The findings suggest that someone who drinks a liter of bottled water daily may consume tens of thousands of microplastic particles yearly.
Researchers found microplastics in all placentas they tested, while other researchers found widespread plastic pollution in the Arctic. A study showed that 28 samples of liquid collected from clouds at the top of Mount Tai in Eastern China had microplastics present.
Microplastics infest the world’s oceans. The ocean floor reservoir had three to 11 million metric tons of plastic waste in 2020. That is similar to the amounts found on land. Around 60 to 80 percent of all marine debris is from plastic products and packaging. An estimated eight metric tons of plastic come into oceans annually, equivalent to two Empire State Buildings’ worth of plastic entering the ocean every month. Most plastics are made from fossil fuels and do not biodegrade.
Plastics are dangerous to marine life. They can ingest microplastics or become entangled in them. Microplastics can resemble food but are not digestible and do not easily pass through the digestive tract. Ingesting plastic can lead to starvation, malnutrition, and intestinal blockage, all of which result in death.
The Global Plastic Treaty
A legally binding, global agreement to reduce plastic waste would help solve the problem. In 2022, the UN Environmental Assembly met in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss the plastic crisis. 175 countries voted to adopt a global treaty for plastic waste, with a possible target of 2025.
In April this year, the fourth intragovernmental negotiation meeting for the treaty took place in Ottawa, Canada, and agreed on a mandate for the chair to create a new and updated draft and an agreement by all participating countries to conduct formal work to advance negotiations. The fifth and final intragovernmental negotiation meeting will happen in Busan, South Korea.
Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen on Unsplash
