In a detailed new review of how plastics infiltrate the environment, scientists indicate that burning plastics in landfills, as well as burning plastics in small fires, poses a significant problem for the planet, similar to littering.
A groundbreaking global report on plastic pollution published in the journal Nature identifies India as the largest source of waste emissions, and the issue of waste incineration is far more serious than previously thought.
These findings come ahead of important negotiations aimed at establishing a global treaty on plastics. Researchers hope that the treaty will provide better information for policymakers as they consider the best ways to address the escalating plastic crisis.
Burning plastic waste has numerous adverse effects on the environment and human beings. (Illustration: Electronic Newspaper of the Government – Capital Hanoi Specialized Page)
It has been reported that plastics have been found in the snow atop the highest mountains and even at the deepest ocean floors. Notably, microplastics have also been detected in breast milk.
The majority of these issues stem from plastic waste, which includes larger plastic items like discarded straws that take a long time to decompose, harming ecosystems for generations to come.
Furthermore, serious plastic pollution has also occurred due to the informal burning of plastic waste, primarily in impoverished areas where no alternatives are available.
Researcher Costas Velis from the University of Leeds (UK) remarked: “Previously, we have not adequately commented on marine waste or plastic pollution.”
To decode the issue, Velis’s research team utilized artificial intelligence to create a detailed global inventory of plastic pollution down to the city level to support waste management modeling in over 50,000 cities.
It is estimated that around 52 million tons of plastic waste were released into the environment in 2020, with 43% being unburned waste and 57% only being crudely burned in outdoor fires, along roadsides, or at landfills.
According to Costas Velis, improper waste burning and allowing plastics to smolder in this manner do not make the waste “disappear” but rather disperse small plastic fragments into the environment. Burning plastic waste also reduces air quality and exposes residents living near burning sites to highly toxic substances released when plastics burn.
The situation is particularly severe as research has found that the primary source of plastic waste in countries in the Global South is uncollected waste, with nearly 1.2 billion people lacking any means to manage waste. As such, authorities and researchers are calling for immediate attention from all countries, with hopes pinned on negotiations towards a global treaty on plastic pollution scheduled to take place in South Korea at the end of November.
