Tokyo: Plastic waste leakage to the environment in Southeast Asian countries, along with China, Japan, and South Korea, is anticipated to rise by nearly 70 percent if effective interventions are not implemented, a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has warned.
According to TRTworld.com, the Regional Plastics Outlook report attributes this increase to rising incomes and improved living standards, projecting that plastic use in the region could almost double without more ambitious policies. The report highlights that the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are expected to see a near tripling of plastic waste leakage.
The report notes that regional plastic waste has increased from 10 million tons in 1990 to 113 million tons in 2022. It points out that informal and unsafe practices, such as open burning and dumping, continue in most ASEAN countries and China, particularly in rural areas. Plastic waste pollution remains a significant environmental issue, contaminating rivers and oceans, and posing health risks to wildlife and humans as microplastics enter the body.
Projections in the report estimate that annual leakage into the environment in the region could reach 14.1 million tons by 2050, with 5.1 million tons potentially reaching rivers, coastal areas, and oceans. Waste management capabilities vary widely across the region, and plastic use in 13 countries has surged almost ninefold, from 17 million tons in 1990 to 152 million tons in 2022.
With over half of the plastic used in the region having a lifespan of less than five years, a significant portion quickly becomes waste. However, the report suggests that plastic use in the region could decrease by 28 percent through ambitious actions, such as bans on single-use plastics and the imposition of taxes. These measures could also increase the recycling rate to 54 percent and reduce mismanaged waste by 97 percent.
In a related development, discussions for an international legally binding treaty on plastics pollution resumed on Tuesday in Geneva. These talks follow previous discussions held last year in South Korea, which collapsed due to disagreements among countries over measures to curb plastic output and manage plastic waste.