The Plastic Trash Crisis- Where Will it all Go?

For the past couple decades, consumers in developed societies--especially those in the west--largely did not have to worry about where our plastic waste went. Since 1992, China and Hong Kong imported and processed 45% of the world's plastic refuse (Benson, 2018, p. 1310). However, this changed on December 31, 2017 when China put a permanent ban on the import of this terrifying byproduct of consumerism (p. 1310). So, where will the 111 million metric tons of predicted waste by 2030 be redirected to (p. 1310)?

Unfortunately, there is no clear answer. Even though certain developed countries such as Canada are both major exporters and importers of plastic (we rank 10th on the top 10 list of exporters and 7th in imports), there is just too much plastic to be processed in our plants (Brooks, Wang, & Jambeck, 2018, .p. 4). As a result, much of this waste will probably be landfilled (p. 4). This horrific sounding “solution” is far from new news; over the last couple decades only 9% of plastic waste has been recycled (p. 1). However, the future is not completely grim… I have recently read 3 possible remedies for the world’s plastic crisis.

The first is the most obvious: drastically reduce consumption, therefore lowering global demand and discouraging companies and businesses from production/ use. Reducing production for thicker plastics such as PVC pipes and safe/ sanitary packaging of shipped goods is important, but not the Big Bad Wolf in the situation. The mecca of environmental carnage is single-use plastics, which for the past couple decades accounted for 89% of exported plastic waste (Brooks, Wang, & Jambeck, p.1). Reducing consumption is not as difficult as it seems; it is mainly our daily luxuries of getting take-out items such as coffees, food, and packaged goods that produce this mass of waste. A few “simple” solutions? Buy local goods, cook your own food, and be prepared for your day-- you can read my other blog entries for useful tips and ideas for success!

On a more political and global level, we need plastic to be classified as a "waste requiring special consideration" in the Basel Convention--a global organization which controls the movement of hazardous wastes around the world (p. 5). This would help increase a global flow of knowledge, possibly increase management practices surrounding plastic, and most importantly could create "strict liability" (p. 5). Strict liability would keep both producers and importers accountable for the entire life cycle of the plastic. If businesses were more accountable, it is not unreasonable to believe we would produce less than the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic waste thrown to the winds since 2017 (p. 1).

A third, and more scientific solution has recently surfaced at Purdue University in the U.S. (McRae, 2019). A group of chemists may have discovered a method by which to convert plastic’s polymers into a “diesel-like product”. These polymers, making up roughly 25 percent of plastic, have been successfully transformed into this fluid through a process called hydrothermal liquefaction. Here, the plastics are put in a chamber with water, heated to almost 500 degrees Celsius and subjected to 23 megapascals of pressure. Better yet, the creation of this fluid called “naptha” is supposedly more environmentally friendly than burning or trying to recycle the waste. How epic would that be, if we all burned plastic for fuel?

Whether a reduction of consumption, a change in global policy, or a utilization of intense scientific processes, is essentially up to individuals in all fields to reduce annual plastic waste. There is no where for it to go. Furthermore, plastic can take 450-1000 years to decompose, which means it will outlive ALL OF US. Take responsibility now.

References

Benson, P. J. (2018). China's plastic waste import ban. Science, 360(6395), 1310-1310. doi:10.1126/science.360.6395.1310-b

Brooks, A. L., Wang, S., Jambeck, J. R. (2018). The Chinese import ban and its impact on global plastic waste trade. Science Advances 4(6), 1-7. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aat0131

McRae, Mike. Researchers say they've found a way to turn 1/4 of all our plastic waste into fuel. ScienceAlert. www.sciencealert.com/this-is-how-we-might-turn-millions-of-tonnes-of-plastic-back-into-oil.