September 2023
Unwaste.io
Building a cloud platform to connect everyone who can help reduce plastic waste entering our planet’s environment.
Welcome to our regular round up of research, opinions and smart thinking about waste management, plastic pollution and the circular economy.?
In the header image you can see the latest data visualisation from our Wastebase data platform, comparing top producers in OECD sample countries with those in the global south - many thanks to our Data Intern, Rajalakshmi G for her producing these images.
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Recycling
Our UK team has been following the vaping disaster closely. While the UK Government cracked down on free vapes for kids, there is much more work to be done on the environmental impact of disposable vapes.?
This article by Emma Snaith details the challenges of ‘recycling’ these items, even for the most committed individuals.
More shilly-shallying around the crumbling proposals for a Deposit Return Scheme in the UK (DRS) as retailers tot up potential costs to the industry. Packaging Insights publishes regular articles on this story, including updates on the continued delays to the DRS pilot in Scotland.
In related news, DEFRA confirmed a delay to EPR in the UK - as Sujay Hammannavar notes, the UK is falling behind other countries who are making some efforts to implement (and enforce) meaningful EPR policies.
Internationally, Australian residents who hailed their government’s ban on waste exports have discovered there were a few loopholes - although the ban includes mixed plastic waste, plastic that has been ‘separated’ can still be exported where it may end up being burnt.
Environmental groups said Australia had misled the public and ensured its waste would continue to pollute developing countries, especially in Southeast Asia which has become the main destination for the rich world's waste.
In better news from Australia, a team of scientists has been studying the potential of ‘plastic munching superworms’ that can break down polystyrene and styrene. While the insects aren’t expected to be an effective means of recycling at scale, the research hopes to identify the enzyme that could be used as part of larger recycling schemes.
This webinar from Zero Waste Europe on the use of recycled plastics in food packaging is terrifying. Turns out that as well as the base polymer, and intentional additives, recycled plastic packaging also contains unintentational additives and new chemicals formed by the reaction between other chemicals. Only 1% of which have been toxicologically analysed...
Ocean plastics
This is grim reading…the title says it all. The author’s highlight the need for better data to inform preventative strategies. Using data to prevent plastic making its way into the ocean was one of the drivers behind Unwaste.io and we support the motivation behind this type of research:
understanding trends in regional and global plastic pollution mass and abundance is essential to evaluating and mitigating the risks.
领英推荐
Friend to Unwaste and environmental journalist, James Wakibia , literally got into the water to demonstrate the problem of plastic routes into the ocean.
Global policy and impacts of plastic pollution
This article summarises findings from a Tearfund report into how plastic waste contributes to flooding in lower income countries. Like many other global issues, the poorest communities are hit the hardest, with real, tangible impacts on life and livelihoods.
"What we are saying is that plastic pollution affects the poorest, most marginalised communities the most. We’ve seen it with plastic burning, and we are now seeing it with flood risk. These communities bear the brunt of plastic pollution.”
Another (fairly damning) reflection on the negotiations around the global Plastics Treaty, this time from the The Economist .
?"Economist Impact’s research into the effectiveness of some of the policies being considered by member states concluded that the treaty will need to stipulate measures at the most ambitious end of the spectrum to bring about peak plastic consumption. While recycling and bans are part of the solution to reducing plastic pollution, without limits on production they will have limited effect. "
Nations spar over how to cut plastic pollution? (Economist)
If you want to get your head around the Plastics Treaty, this series of short-ish podcasts from Sustainable Asia are a good place to start, reflecting on progress of negotiations.
Packaging
Upstream intervention from Deliveroo to encourage their suppliers (many of whom are SMEs) to use more sustainable packaging.
亨氏 the makers of many world-famous British products, have also made a commitment to a ‘critical 20%’ reduction in virgin plastic in their packaging.
And this link brings together research and recent editorials on the many ways plastic polymers and additives can impact human health, the ecosystem, and the economy
Finally, here a neat call to action on an important and growing issue - a campaign from Break Free From Plastic , calling on Unilever to set a higher standard and #QuitSachets.?
By eliminating sachets, Unilever can set high industry standards, and advance its vision to be a sustainability leader. With the #QuitSachets campaign, we want to dismantle their hype and redefine their ‘possible’ by setting a clear, high bar of what actual leadership looks like.
If you’re interested in our data, we publish a regular free summary of plastic monitoring data collected through wastebase.org. It includes global polluter leaderboards, country analysis and our interactive map of global waste flows.
Happy reading!
The Unwaste.io team