Hi Reader,
According to the UN’s facts and figures on plastic pollution, this year the world is expected to consume 516 million tonnes of plastics, with 11 million tonnes of plastics leaking into aquatic ecosystems each year.
What’s even more shocking is that only 9 percent of all plastics produced is actually being recycled, with only 21 percent being economically recyclable. So even if we increased recycling capacity, based on the current mix of plastics and design methods, we still have 79% unrecyclable!
We have a massive disconnect between the hyper-disposable world we have designed ourselves into and the ability for recycling to solve it. This is one of the reasons why the Circular Economy is so important: it helps us redesign the way human needs are met through products and services to ensure that materials are intentionally reused, repaired and remanufactured. These are viable options for unrecyclable plastic materials and must be designed right from the start.
In this edition of Interconnected, we delve into our current global progress in addressing plastic pollution and explore some of the actions we can take to help transform the economy into a post-disposable future.
READ
Everything You (Probably Don't) Want to Know about Microplastics
Plastic does not biodegrade back into nature in the same way an organic material does. As it breaks down into smaller and smaller parts, the plastic product creates microplastics, and they are everywhere! Scientists have found microplastics in our blood, brain, placentas, poop and testicles. They are inhaled, consumed and drunk, and since they are so very, very small, you can't really see them to know that you are ingesting them. Read this summary on microplastics by the United Nations (if you dare!)
20 Actions to Beat Plastic Pollution
There are actually hundreds of things you can do, from switching to reusables, to being more conscious of how you consume and what you put in your dishwasher (listen to the podcast below). Here is Leyla’s top 20 Things You Can Do to Help Beat Plastic Pollution.
The Global Plastic Treaty Updates
Since 2022, the UN has been negotiating on the Global Plastic Pollution Treaty for an international legal agreement aimed at ending plastic pollution. Good traction was being made until last year’s meeting in Busan, South Korea, which was considered pretty unsuccessful due to a few countries that blocked progress (any guesses as to which ones these are!?). With negotiations set to resume in Geneva, Switzerland, this August, you can read more about the latest updates here.
A note from Leyla:
Over the years at the UnSchool, we have met some incredible change-makers through our in-person programs. So, I wanted to share more about Alumni Pavlina Pavlova and Marcela Godoy, who are both working to advance the Circular Economy.
Check out more of our alumni stories here.
LISTEN
Science vs Microplastics
The podcast Science Vs pits science against a hot topic, and in this episode they dive into microplastics. Let’s just say you may think differently about canned chickpeas and popping plastic in your dishwasher after listening to this one! Listen to: Microplastics: How Worried Should You Be
REFLECT + ENGAGE
Here are 3 Ways to Take Action Now:
- Take action with our free post-disposable toolkit
- Here’s a fun worksheet pack for schools on tackling ocean plastic waste
- Get into the science of behaviour and culture change to beat plastic pollution