Is a Zero-Plastic Waste Society a Utopian Concept?

12/6/20233 min read

man lying on garbage pile in aerial photography
man lying on garbage pile in aerial photography

It is estimated that almost 80% of the 8 billion tonnes of plastics produced in the past 70 years have remained in the environment and have not been recycled or incinerated (Zaman and Newman 2021). There is therefore an urgent need to address, first, the plastics lingering on the planet and harming human and non-human organisms and ecosystems, and second, stem the generation of further plastics (and therefore more toxic plastic waste).

It is essential, albeit challenging, to move to a zero-plastic society. The primary roadblocks toward zero-plastic waste are the widespread use of plastics in most industries (Zaman and Newman 2021), as well as the large amounts of plastic waste to be managed and their longevity and persistence (Ragossnig and Agamuthu 2021).

In March 2022, United Nations member states commenced negotiating, with the aim of completion by 2024, the first internationally legally-binding treaty against plastic pollution through its entire lifecycle (UN 2022; EC1). Eventually, given the presence of fossil fuels in the production of a high proportion of plastics, it may soon become necessary to incorporate the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal into international climate change instruments and agendas (Zaman and Newman 2021).

The most pressing solution to high plastic waste volumes is first curb the production of and demand for non-recyclable plastic products, in particular throwaway or single-use plastics. This could be achieved by promoting sustainable and recyclable media such as bioplastics, which derive from renewable or recycled materia and which can themselves be reused or recycled (Rosenboom et al 2022). Currently, apart from a Communication on sourcing, labelling, and use, there are no European Union laws or criteria around bioplastics (EC2).

Another potential avenue for mitigating plastic waste could be the enhanced and more widespread adoption of plastic recycling practices. A number of technological innovations in sorting, treatment, and recycling processes permit recovery of some quantities of viable plastic waste; however, these processes are not without residual unrecyclable byproducts (Ragossnig and Agamuthu 2021). This obstacle could be overcome over time by the prioritisation of resources for research and development.

Indeed, rather than considering waste as inevitable, zero-waste frameworks “acknowledge that waste is a 'misallocated resource' or a 'resource in transition'... Thus, it should be recirculated in the system to reuse, reassemble, resell, redesign, recycle, or reprocess” (Zaman and Newman 2021:4)

In general, plastic waste management laws, targets, and practices are unique to culture, country and region, and differences in reporting, parameters, and standards further confuse and impede the understanding and monitoring of progress. A coordinated international approach toward zero-plastic waste is therefore required to tackle this transboundary problem.

There may be industry push-back against restrictions on plastic use, resulting in potential conflicts between on one hand implementation of law and regulation and, on the other, on-the-ground operational needs and interests. For instance, in lower-income areas and communities, it may simply not be feasible at this time to pay higher prices for products and packaging made of sustainable materials. This could be addressed by governmental incentives and disincentives to facilitate the availability and affordability of alternatives to plastics.

References: