Plastic Waste Management

International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC)

Osaka, Japan

Presented by Claudia Giacovelli / 6 September 2017 / Osaka, Japan

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International Environmental Technology Centre

OUR VISION

UN Environment IETC assists countries to identify and implement technological solutions to environmental challenges

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Plastic Waste: facts and figures

How much plastic enters the ocean every year ?

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1096 Eiffel

Towers

24Empire State

Buildings

44,444 Blue

Whales

30,180 heaviest sumo

wrestler in history, Yamamotoyama

Ryūta

“By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans”

Project MainStream, a multi-industry, global initiativelaunched in 2014 by the World Economic Forum

Plastic Waste: Health and Environmental Implications

8 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the ocean every year

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“By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans”

Project MainStream, a multi-industry, global initiativelaunched in 2014 by the World Economic Forum

Source: Tumblr

Plastic Waste: facts and figures

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• 80% of plastic waste in the ocean comes from land-basedsources

• The items most commonly found on beaches are single-use plastics such as grocery bags, food packaging, bottles and utensils

• 40% of plastic produced each year becomes single-use packaging

Source: Sea of Opportunity (2017): Supply Chain Investment Opportunities to Address Marine Plastic Pollution

One option: Incineration

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• If incineration of non-recyclable plastics is performed with high-efficiency energy recovery: less CO2 released than by disposing plastic waste in landfills

• However, especially in small countries like SIDS, cost-effectiveness of investing in incineration infrastructure must be assessed to ensure financial sustainability in the long term

Other option gaining momentum: Plastic bag ban

Total Ban Use and sell of plastic bags prohibited

Levy on retailers

Levy for dispensing plastic bags, encouraging stores to charge a fee, use alternative bags, and pushing the use of reusable bags

Levy on consumersCharge on each bag sold at the point of sale

Policy mixBan on thin plastic bags and levy on thicker ones

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To date about 75 countries in the world have taken actions to reduce the consumption of plastic bags

Best practice: the IRISH “PlasTax”

In 2002 Ireland introduced a levy on consumers (€0.15, ¥20)per plastic bag at points of sale

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Survey to estimate consumers’ willingness to pay so to set a price sufficiently high to influence their behaviour

Extensive stakeholder consultations and buy-in

Multi-media awareness campaigns on the reasons for the levy, linking price and environmental benefits

Before the ban

During design and

implementation

Ongoing

Impact of the levy in Ireland

• 90% reduction in plastic bag consumption in one year

• Bags used per inhabitant per year fell from 328 in 1999 to 21 in 2004

Bags as % of National Litter Composition

Levy introduced

Levy increased

Source: Department of Communication, Climate Action & Environment of Ireland

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Bangladesh: nexus with natural disasters

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Drivers

• 1998: two-thirds of the country submerged during monsoon season due to plastic bags clogging drains and waterways, with increasing risks of water-borne diseases

Actions

• Following campaigns against plastic bags initially led by local NGOs and the Ministry of the Environment, in 2002 Bangladesh bans all plastic bags

Results

• Initial positive response from the public

• Use of plastic bags increased after some years due to lax enforcement and lack of cheap alternatives

South Africa: short and long term effects

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• 1990s: Plastic bags became known as the “new national flowers”

• 2003: Ban on ultrathin plastic bags (<30μm) and a retailer levy on thicker ones

RESULTS

• Initial decrease in the consumption of plastic bags (60-90% in one year)

• After 3 months levy reduced, partly due to pressures from the plastics industry

• Consequent increase in the use of plastic bags, with diminishing effect of the levy in the long term

• No follow-up awareness after the implementation

Rwanda: first total ban in Africa

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In 2008 Rwanda banned the manufacturing, use, sell and import of all plastic bags

• Lack of public awareness of the benefits of the ban

• Initially people smuggled plastic bags from neighbouring countries; a lucrative black market emerged

• Strict enforcement resulted in a cleaner environment

• Kigali, the capital, appointed “cleanest city in Africa” by UN Habitat in 2008

China: national and local initiatives

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Prior to 2008, about 3 billion plastic bags were

used in China every day

Source: Worldwatch Institute

2008

National Ban on ultrathin plastic bags (<25 μm) and levy on thicker ones.

Sales of plastic bags shrank by two-thirds in 7 years

2015

Ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags and tableware in the Jilin province

2018

Ban on the import of 8 types of plastic scraps

A roadmap for Kenya

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• August 2017: ban on the use, import and manufacturing of plastic bags implemented within a short time frame (Feb – Aug 2017)

• UN Environment supporting Gov and IETCworking with counties to develop a roadmap for a smoother implementation of the ban and a dialogue platform with the plastics industry

• Fines up to 38.000 USD and up to 4 years in prison

Other IETC work: SIDS Waste Management Outlook

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• The goal is to guide the 58 SIDS in implementing waste management improvements

• Waste management on islands calls for region-specific policies and adaptive technologies

• Integrated approach to waste management (all media)

Plastic Minimization Project in Jamaica

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In-country project to create an enabling environment for marine plastic waste minimization on the island:

• Work with government to create a normative and legislative enabling policy framework

• Support small-scale community recycling for entrepreneurship and green jobs

• Engage the private sector to implement recycling of wastes

USD 700K, funded by Japan

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Plastic waste minimization: opportunities for improvement

Citizens engagement

• Recycling• Waste to Energy (e.g.

incineration)• Environmentally sound

technologies

Government actions

Technology

Sustainable plastic waste management

• Strategies and Action Plans• Regulations & Bans• Financial Incentives• Standardise definitions• Standards for recycled materials• Promotion of green public

procurement

• Life cycle thinking (design for sustainability, use of environmentally sound material and technologies)

• Circular economy approach• R&D for technology

adaptation

Private sector initiative

• Consumers behaviour(consumers drive demand and influence production)

• Promote awareness, education and training

Thank you

Presented by Claudia Giacovelli / Economy Division / IETC / Osaka

www.unep.org/ietc