New research by The Circulate Initiative, a non-profit organisation dedicated to solving the ocean plastic pollution challenge in emerging markets, uncovers just how important plastic waste management is to mitigate climate change.
Entitled “The Climate Benefits of Plastic Waste Management in India and Southeast Asia”, the report outlines the potential of investing in effective plastic waste management and recycling across India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and combat climate change.
The data for the report are derived from the latest edition of The Circulate Initiative’s Plastic Lifecycle Assessment Calculator for the Environment and Society, or PLACES. Launched in 2021, PLACES is the first open-access climate impact calculator that tracks the GHG emissions, energy and water consumption of plastic waste management and recycling solutions across South and Southeast Asia. It is used by corporations, investors, recyclers, waste management service providers and city planners to generate market-specific data to quantify the environmental impact of waste management and recycling interventions.
The present report calculates that recycling all mismanaged plastic waste in the six markets across South and Southeast Asia could reduce GHG emissions by 229 million tonnes, the equivalent of shutting down 61 coal-fired power plants. The authors write that diverting just one tonne of plastic waste from open burning in any of the six markets towards proper collection and recycling could save more than three tonnes of GHG emissions.
Moreover, opting for plastic waste recovery and recycling solutions instead of for incineration and energy recovery in the studied markets could prevent 20 million tonnes of emissions in 2030, they conclude. A 10% in global GHG emissions from end-of-life plastics could be saved if these six markets were to meet their 2030 national recycling targets.
“Ongoing negotiations for the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution are putting the spotlight on the importance of circular economy solutions,” said The Circulate Initiative’s Research Director, Umesh Madhavan.
“Our research demonstrates that investing in effective plastic waste management and recycling can shift the dial to tackle plastic pollution and climate change simultaneously.”