Page 32 - Plastics News December 2021

INTERNATIoNAL NEwS

Over 25,000 Tonnes Of COVID-19 Plastic Australia Launches

Waste Entered Oceans Says A Study App To Reduce Waste

ore than 25,000 tonnes of novel Most of it was produced in Asia (46 per he Australian Government has
Mcoronavirus disease (COVID-19)- cent), Europe (24 per cent) and North Tlaunched an app to help people
related plastics have entered the oceans and South America (22 per cent), with a b etter so r t
from the onset of pandemic through cumulative contribution of 92 per cent of their recycling
August 2021, a recent study published in the pandemic related mismanaged plastic and ensure less
the journal Proceedings of the National waste. The researchers also simulated the plastic waste is
Academy of Sciences (PNAS) of the fate of the mismanaged plastic waste sent to landfill.
United States of America has estimated. once it entered the oceans, using a model Named Recycle
The study showed that over 8.4 million to evaluate its impact on the marine Mate, the free
tonnes of pandemic-associated plastic environment. The model considers the mobile app is
waste has been generated from 193 primary processes that plastics undergo in designed to
countries, of which over 25,000 tonnes seawater like drifting, settling, bio-fouling identify products and inform consumers
has been released into the ocean. The / de-fouling, abrasion and fragmentation. of where they can be recycled.The app
study was led by a team of researchers The study then predicted the movement was previously made available in an
at Nanjing University’s School of of plastic waste in the natural conveyor earlier form in New South Wales in 2019.
Atmospheric sciences and University of belts from 2021 till 2100. It also forecast The Morrison Government said it was
California San Diego’s Scripps Institution that by the end of 2021, the number of inviting ‘tech-savvy waste warriors’ to
of Oceanography. The research found confirmed cases will reach 280 million, help create Australia’s largest catalogue
that a significant portion of this ocean generating close to 11 million tonnes of of products. Australian Environment
plastic debris is expected to make its pandemic-related plastic waste, which Minister Sussan Ley said: “This app is
way onto the beaches or the seabed will result in a riverine discharge of already smart, but like the rest of the
within three-four years. It also found 34,000 tonnes into the ocean. The study recycling sector, we want to turbocharge
that hospital waste represented bulk also admitted that there were substantial it and make it smarter.“Recycle Mate
of the global discharge; most of it was uncertainties with their estimates due uses cutting-edge photo recognition
from Asia. The study noted that over 95 to the lack of accurate data. The study and artificial intelligence technology to
per cent of the COVID-19 cases were made a couple of assumptions, especially identify a product and determine the
found in North and South America around the percentage of plastic in most suitable kerbside bin or disposal
(39.2 per cent), Asia (31.2 per cent) and the sources considered for the study: location for it.“Every time a photo is
Europe (25.7 per cent). However, the Hospital-generated medical waste, virus- uploaded to the app, it recognises more
mismanaged plastic waste generation testing kits, PPE used by residents and and gets smarter, meaning less confusion
did not follow the case distribution: online shopping packages. for users.“The beauty of this app lies
in its simplicity – anyone can use it –
but ultimately the outcome will be less
contamination of recyclable products
in recycling bins, a larger volume of
recoverable items heading to resource
recovery centres and less waste in
landfill.” Consulting firm ACOR and
environment-firm Adaptation developed
the app with AUS$2m ($1.42m) of
funding given through the Morrison
Government’s Environment Restoration
Fund.Brisbane City Council served as
the pilot site for the app.Australia has
pledged to recycle or compost 70% of
its plastic packaging by 2025.

32 PLASTICS NEWS DECEMBER 2021