Plastic waste is one of the biggest environmental problems of our time. According to a study by the University of Leeds in England, which was published in the journal Nature at the beginning of September, twice as much plastic waste ends up in nature as in recycling or in official landfills and incinerators every year: 52 million tonnes.
Apart from the fact that the industry does too little to reduce the amount of waste, the biggest problem is inadequate disposal. According to the authors of the study, the problem is greatest in the Global South because the structures are simply lacking there. There, some of the waste is often incinerated in small illegal landfill sites. India has the most uncollected plastic waste, followed by Nigeria and Indonesia. In many countries, there is a lack of resources and state support to set up effective waste disposal systems.
But we don't need to point the finger at others. According to the study, the biggest problem in the Global North is the careless discarding of waste on the streets or in nature. In addition, the actual recycling rate is well below the set targets. Many European countries are shirking their responsibility by simply exporting their plastic waste to Africa or Asia. There, the waste is then often simply incinerated or disposed of in the wild.
‘The researchers at the University of Leeds are particularly concerned about the sub-Saharan region. Although the absolute amount of plastic waste here is still lower than in India or Nigeria, the rapid population growth and lack of infrastructure suggest that this region could become one of the biggest sources of plastic pollution in the future,’ says Dominik Hochwarth, summarising the results of the study on ingenieur.de. It warns that without targeted measures to improve waste infrastructure, plastic pollution in sub-Saharan Africa could soon reach similar proportions to India or Nigeria. The consequences of pollution, incineration and microplastics for humans and the environment are well known.
The authors of the study therefore call for the fight against open burning and uncollected waste to be a top priority.
Recycling companies such as Zablikani play an important role here. This is because the purchase of plastic waste provides an important incentive to collect waste.
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