Faculty of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, University of Wales: Trinity Saint David (Swansea), SA1 6ED, Mount Pleasant, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom.
Programas de Física y Biologia, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad del Atlántico, Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2022 Mar;176:113429. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113429. Epub 2022 Feb 24.
Plastic production is an essential part of the world economy that has mushroomed exponentially with c.9.2 billion tonnes estimated to have been made between 1950 and 2017. Now, each year c.8-11 million tonnes of plastic waste escapes into the oceans. Plastic usage is varied but the packaging industry accounts for 47%. Recycling and the circular economy are seen as keys to unlocking the plastic problem, for example, via the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme; a Deposit Return Scheme. The circular economy is a fine idea and has been around a long time, but has it made any real difference? The amount of plastic in circulation keeps getting bigger and bigger. More thought must be given to creating technologies and designs that can deal with waste management, integrate international collaboration and cut waste to a bare minimum at its source point upstream. No single solution exists, but there is a need for a legally binding global governance arrangement that would effectively and measurably limit and control plastic pollution. Many governments are in favour of this.
塑料生产是世界经济的重要组成部分，自 1950 年以来，其产量呈指数级增长，估计已达 92 亿吨。如今，每年约有 800 万至 1100 万吨塑料废物流入海洋。塑料的用途多种多样，但包装行业占 47%。回收利用和循环经济被视为解决塑料问题的关键，例如通过扩展生产者责任计划和押金返还计划。循环经济是一个很好的理念，已经存在了很长时间，但它是否产生了任何实际影响？流通中的塑料量不断增加。必须更多地考虑创造能够处理废物管理的技术和设计，整合国际合作，并在源头上游将废物减少到最低限度。没有单一的解决方案，但需要有一个具有法律约束力的全球治理安排，以有效和可衡量的方式限制和控制塑料污染。许多政府都赞成这一点。
