Plastic Waste Mitigation Strategies

A Review of Lessons from Developing Countries

Bibliographic Data

ID14640653
AuthorsAnil Hira (0000-0003-4831-284X, Simon Fraser University, corresponding author), Henrique Pacini (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), Kweku Attafuah-Wadee (0000-0001-7654-8927, Resources Transformation Ghana), David Vivas-Eugui (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), David Vivas‐Eugui (United Nations), Michael Saltzberg (DuPont), Michael A Saltzberg (DuPont (United States)), Tze Ni Yeoh (Circular Economy Alliance)
Year2022
Volume38
Issue3
Pages336-359
Publication date2022-09-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Developing Societies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0169-796X • E-ISSN: 1568-5225
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0169796x221104855
OpenAlexW4283803221
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited40

Global plastics waste is an issue of ever-increasing urgency. Estimates suggest some 79% of plastic waste is dumped into the environment, where it is likely to have devastating effects on ecosystems and human health. Marine plastic pollution is a particularly challenging issue, as plastics take decades to break down, and do so into micro- and nanoparticles that affect marine ecosystems and the food web. The plastics pollution problem is magnified in the Global South, where rising production and consumption coexist with underdeveloped waste treatment systems and large volumes of imported plastic waste. This article examines the reasons for the failure to curb plastic waste in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia (SA), target regions of the Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) program funded to address such issues. The article examines the challenges in shifting manufacturing processes and natural materials substitution for reducing plastics waste. It recommends greater external financial and technical support for waste treatment, stakeholder consensus and awareness-building, regulatory policies that reduce the price and convenience differentials between plastics and substitute materials, and a push towards enforcement of environmental regulations

Business · Developing country · Economic growth · Economics · Enforcement · Environmental planning · Food waste · Municipal solid waste · Natural resource economics · Plastic pollution · Plastic Waste · Political science · Stakeholder · Waste management · Engineering · Environmental Science · Microplastics and Plastic Pollution · Recycling and Waste Management Techniques · Sustainable Supply Chain Management · Pollution

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Open DOIOpen Access