Page 26 - Plastics News December 2021

FEATURE

Can't Just Recycle Our Way Out Of Plastic Crisis,' Say Experts

Experts said that radical changes in production system also plays an equally crucial role in reducing
plastic waste
"We won't be able to just recycle or kilns, Reuters revealed in October.
reduce our way out of it," said Rob Meanwhile, plastic production is
Kaplan, CEO of Circulate Capital, which projected to double by 2040 - something
invests in emerging markets initiatives to many critics of the industry believe is
solve the plastic waste crisis.
excessive and the biggest driver of the
"It's a systems problem and needs to huge waste problem facing the planet.
combine upstream and downstream "Recycling can't compete with
solutions," he said, speaking on a panel overproduction," said Von Hernandez
at the Reuters Next conference. of the Break Free from Plastic campaign,
The world produces around 300 a global alliance calling for an end to
million tonnes of plastic waste every plastic pollution.
ecycling will not be able to contain year, according to the United Nations "So what we need is limits on virgin
Ra runaway global plastic waste crisis, Environment Programme. plastic production," he said, speaking
experts said on Friday as they called on But less than 10% of all the plastic ever alongside Kaplan on the panel.
companies to reduce plastic production made has been recycled, in large part
and shift more products into reusable and because it is too costly to collect and sort. While there is no global regulator or
refillable packaging. Moving away from The rest ends up dumped or buried in treaty for the plastics industry, the panel
single-use plastics and towards systems landfills or burned. As recycling schemes speakers said individual consumers
that allow for it to be reused are among falter, big consumer goods companies, can help drive the changes needed in
the solutions that experts believe could including Unilever, Coca-Cola and corporate behaviour and hold companies
ease the problem, but radical changes to Nestle, have started investing in projects accountable through the life cycle of
the production system are also needed. to burn plastic waste as fuel in cement their plastic products and where they
end up.

Drowning’ In Waste: Australia Recycled Just 16% Of Plastic Packaging

Last Year

ustralia is failing to meet its own of plastic packaging to be recycled or “asleep at the wheel” in responding to the
Aplastic reduction targets, with just composted by 2025, and unnecessary growing problem of plastic waste.“We’ve
16% of plastic recovered last year despite single-use plastic packaging to be phased been encouraged by moves to ban key
more than half of packaging found to out.However, the report found that with single-use plastics, and investments to
be easily recyclable, a new report shows. the current recycling upgrades in place, build new recycling infrastructure, but it
The latest progress report released by Australia will be able to recycle only 36% is still too little too slowly when it comes
the Australian Packaging Covenant of plastics annually by 2025. to plastic packaging,” he said.
Organisation (Apco) found plastic Of 1.1m tonnes of plastic packaging “One thing is abundantly clear: if we
recycling has flatlined since a voluntary placed on the market last year, only keep on the way we are, we’ll never make
plan was implemented in 2017. The 179,000 tonnes were recovered.Products it past the halfway point as the tidal wave
Australian Marine Conservation society with recycled plastic content also remain of plastic continues to fill up our oceans
plastics expert Shane Cucow said the low, accounting for just 3% of plastic and our landfills.” Cucow said voluntary
report should be a “sharp wake-up call” packaging on the market.Cucow said targets weren’t working and greater
for the federal government and business that despite many domestic companies incentives and penalties were needed
sector. Australia has set targets for 70% touting sustainability, Australia was still to encourage companies to increase

26 PLASTICS NEWS DECEMBER 2021