This plastic pollution Can be reduced by 80% by 2040 According to a recent report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), if countries and companies make radical changes in policies and the market using existing technologies. The report was published on the eve of the feast. Second round of negotiations in Paris to reach a global agreement To combat plastic pollution.
The report ‘Turn off the tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy’ is a solution-focused analysis. concrete practices, market changes and policies It can serve as a guide for governments and companies. The aim is to achieve a circular economy in this sector as well.
“The way we produce, use and dispose of plastics pollutes ecosystems, poses risks to human health and destabilizes the climate,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director. “This UNEP report creates a roadmap to drastically reduce these risks by adopting a circular approach that keeps plastic out of ecosystems, our bodies and the economy. If we follow this roadmap, significant economic, social and environmental gains can be achieved.”
Necessary changes to circularity
The report recommends eliminating problematic and unnecessary plastics first to reduce plastic pollution worldwide by 80% by 2040. Later, report calls for three market changes: reuse, recycle and redirect and diversify products:
reuse: Refillable bottles, bulk dispensers, deposit and return (SDDR) systems, container retrieval systems, etc. Promoting reuse options, including: the system is more suitable for reuse.
recycle: Plastic pollution can be reduced by another 20% by 2040 if recycling becomes a more stable and profitable activity. Eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, implementing design guidelines to improve recyclability, and other measures will increase the share of economically recyclable plastics from 21% to 50%.
Reorientation and diversification: Replacing plastic containers, envelopes and packaging with alternative materials (such as paper or compostable materials) can result in an additional 17% reduction in plastic pollution.
Even while taking the above precautions, By 2040 there will still be 100 million metric tons of plastic from single use items and short-term, which will need to be recycled separately from all existing waste. This amount can be reduced by enforcing design and safety standards for the disposal of non-recyclable plastic waste and by holding manufacturers accountable for, among other things, products that release microplastics.
The cost of ‘cutting the faucet’ into plastic
“The transition to the circular economy in general It will save 1.17 trillion euros, taking into account the costs and revenues of recycling. Another 3 trillion euros will be saved by avoiding other related harms such as health, climate, air pollution, marine ecosystem degradation and litigation costs”, explains the UNEP document.
The report also noted that this change It could lead to the creation of 700,000 jobs by 2040It significantly improves the livelihoods of millions of workers, especially in low-income countries.
This costs arising from the investments necessary to face this change They are significant, but in any case they will be less than what would have been created without such change: 62,000 million per year compared to 105,000 million per year. Many of these resources can be accessed by replacing planned investments for new manufacturing facilities that will no longer be needed due to declining material needs or a tax on raw plastic production. However, the report adds:time is very important: a five-year delay could result in an increase of 80 million metric tons of plastic pollution by 2040.”
In both the disposable and circular economy, the highest costs are operational. Therefore, if an arrangement is made to ensure that plastics are designed as circular (reusable), it will also producers will be asked to “finance collection, recycling and disposal”. responsible at the end of the useful life of plastic products”.
Moreover depends on globally accepted criteria. And internationally agreed policies “can help break the boundaries of national planning and trade action, sustain a thriving global plastics circular economy, unlock business opportunities and create jobs”.
The report recommends a single worldwide tax framework ensuring that recycled materials compete on an equal footing with virgin materials, creating economies of scale for solutions, and establishing monitoring systems and financing mechanisms.
Full report: https://www.unep.org/es/resources/turning-off-tap-end-plastic-pollution-create-circular-economy
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