Plastic bundles are packed in shipping containers. These will travel across the globe to find a recycling facility or a simple dumping ground.
Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
As puppets of the current capitalist driven economic market, one aspect that we often ignore is the amount of waste accumulated from our daily consumption habits. Most people in developed countries get to place their garbage in a bin and place that bin at the end of their driveway for a truck to drive by and take it off their hands. The only effort asked from the consumer is to remember which day of the week is garbage collection day. No other thought is given to the matter. However, while municipal solid waste collection is an efficient luxury, it does create negative effects on the environment and people’s health.
According to a report by the World Bank, garbage generated by consumers, whether it is throwing out packaging, food or objects, is responsible for 5% of total greenhouse gas emissions. This is not taking into consideration the greenhouse gas emissions generated during the production or distribution of an item. Furthermore, the methane released from landfills, which is the most commonly used method of garbage disposal, constitutes 12% of worldwide methane emissions. Upon its release in the atmosphere, methane is 80 times more polluting than carbon dioxide. This overwhelming amount of evidence confirms that waste plays a significant role in climate change.
Based on population growth and urbanization, it is predicted that by 2025, global levels of garbage production will reach 2.2 billion tonnes per year, which is twice the amount of waste collected at the beginning of the century. Developed countries make up less than a quarter of the world’s population and yet account for almost half of the world’s trash. This debris, along with all its negative effects, is shipped to underdeveloped countries around the world. This is especially the case surrounding the plastic recycling business. Canada and the United States of America ship plastic to numerous countries, which in turn are left to sort the salvageable plastic in order to be cleaned, processed and used again. Those combing through all the plastic waste are not payed a living wage and the recycling plants often reject most items because of the contamination with other dirty substances. This plastic waste coming from developed countries now fills the streets of underdeveloped countries.
Dispatching plastic to the global South is harmful to people’s health and to the environment. The recycling facilities, which melt the plastic pieces, create toxic fumes that pollute the air and affect people’s health by creating respiratory illnesses. Furthermore, most plastic waste today is considered too impure to be recycled, and ends up in the landfill, not only because of contamination as mentioned, but also because companies are increasing the amount of “mixed-plastics” in production in order to save money. Items made with more than one type of plastic do not get recycled as it is too costly to separate the types of plastics properly, and it is more convenient for recycling plants to simply place those items in the trash. These underdeveloped countries then find themselves with an enormous surplus of waste. They usually do not have suitable municipal waste systems in place, and cannot dispose of their own plastic garbage properly. With this added waste from the global North in their dumps the excess flows into their water streams. Water holes become infected which leads to dying crops and water-borne illnesses such as diarrhea. Finally, a considerable amount of plastic ends up on beaches and in our oceans, killing some of the essential biodiversity of the planet. The poorest 3.1 billion people on earth are responsible for only 7% of carbon emission growth since 1990, while the richest 10%, comprised mostly of citizens of the United States of America and Europe, is responsible for 52% of carbon growth. Nonetheless, the poorest half is already suffering the most under the effects of climate change.
The plastic waste trade is recognized as an issue in multiple international accords, such as the Stockholm Convention and the Basel Convention, which recently added an amendment concerning plastic. These international agreements target a specific area related to garbage trading such as persistent organic pollutants found in some forms of plastic, and hazardous plastic waste, respectively. However, these conventions fail to address the source of the plastic waste trading problem. They concentrate mostly on regulating the voyage by which garbage is taken overseas.
Multiple actors are requesting an international treaty on plastic waste. What is truly needed is an international agreement focusing on the minimization of plastic waste and reforming the recycling business. It is estimated that only 9% of plastic is recycled. That is a number that must rise in the coming years if we want to reach the goal set out in the Paris Agreement of keeping the global temperature rise under 2°C. It is imperative that governments draft and approve policies to optimize their waste disposal facilities into a more efficient system and reach agreements to mitigate waste trading. The perfect solution would consist of an accord that also includes corporations so that they can be held accountable. As the biggest contributors to the plastic waste problematic, corporations need to do their part as well, whether by modifying their consumer goods to contain less plastic, or ensure that the plastic used is easily recyclable.
Although more needs to be done by businesses and municipalities around the world, individual action is also needed. People who are fortunate enough to have the means should buy less single-use plastic products or buy items made of recycled plastic. Recycling is a business, and in order to ensure less plastic ends in landfills or waterways, recycling needs to become profitable. Buying items made of recycled plastic is one of many ways to encourage the recycling business. It is also imperative for everyone to learn about proper recycling methods in their area. This will ensure there is a lower chance of items meant for recycling ending up in landfills. Finally, we need to stop viewing recycling as the golden ticket item that will reverse climate change. Until corporations and governments work together to mitigate the plastic waste problem, the current recycling business is destroying the planet rather than saving it.
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