Plastic pollution could be reduced by 80 per cent by 2040 if countries and companies make deep policy and market shifts, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said.

To achieve this, the UN suggested reusing, recycling, reorienting, and diversifying plastic products, including governments promoting refillable bottles, bulk dispensers, deposit-return schemes and packaging take-back schemes, which could reduce 30 per cent of plastic waste.

It said an additional 20 per cent could be reduced if recycling became a more stable and profitable industry while removing fossil fuel subsidies and forcing packaging designers to enhance products’ recycling capabilities, resulting in the number of recyclable plastics would increase from 21 per cent to 50 per cent.

Using alternatives such as paper or compostable materials instead of plastic for wrappers, sachets, and takeaway items could save 17 per cent in plastic pollution, UNEP said.

According to the UN agency, this would still leave 100 million tonnes of single-use and short-lived plastic waste.

UNEP said it could be dealt with by setting and implementing design and safety standards for its disposal, such as making manufacturers responsible for products shedding microplastics.

UNEP’s executive director Inger Andersen said, “The way we produce, use and dispose of plastics is polluting ecosystems, creating risks for human health and destabilising the climate. If we follow this roadmap, including in negotiations on the plastic pollution deal, we can deliver major economic, social and environmental wins.”

The report, titled: ‘Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy’, comes before a second round of negotiations in Paris on a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution.

The report’s authors said shifting to a more circular economy would save $1.27 trillion, noting that a further $3.25 trillion would be saved from improved health, climate, air pollution, marine ecosystems and litigation-related costs.

It would also create a net increase of 700,000 jobs by 2040, mostly in low-income countries.

UNEP said the investment costs are “significant but below the spending without this systemic change,” $65 billion instead of $113 billion without the change.

UNEP said failing to introduce these policies in time and delaying them by five years could lead to an increase of 80 million tons of plastic pollution by 2040.

(dpa/NAN)