Report says there are 29 years left to save the ocean from plastic

A new report published by the Pew Charitable Trusts titled “Breaking the Plastic Wave — A Comprehensive Assessment of Pathways Toward Stopping Ocean Plastic Pollution” reinforces the urgency of implementing drastic measures to prevent the increase in the amount of plastic in the oceans by 2050 – that is, 29 years from now. The report is a first-of-its-kind global analysis that suggests the possibility of cutting the annual flow of plastic waste into the ocean by 80% over the next 20 years, simply by applying existing solutions and technologies. According to the document, regulations currently focus on specific items , such as recycling or disposal, but the study indicates that collective efforts will be needed to eliminate the use of plastic.

There are already many technologies to address this challenge, but what is lacking is infrastructure, policies and funding. The idea is to invest in the production of new plastics to develop reuse and refill systems, sustainable substitute materials, better recycling facilities , more collection infrastructure and new delivery methods. "Breaking the plastic tide will require every nation to do its part, but in different ways. Low- and middle-income countries should focus on expanding plastic waste collection, maximizing reduction and substitution, investing in sorting infrastructure and recycling and reducing landfill leakage. High-income countries should encourage reductions in plastic use, increase recycling rates, end exports of plastic waste and address microplastic leakage,” the report states. To read the full file, click here. Source: Designboom