IPEN member EARTH in Thailand coordinated with plastic recycling workers, plastic waste workers, and workers in other settings, such as office settings or other settings without occupational exposures to plastic waste to assess their exposures to chemicals in plastics.
Increasing plastic recycling has been presented as a solution to the plastic crisis, but the projected recycling numbers are often based on incorrect assumptions and misleading statistics. These are often intentionally presented to oversell the capacity and promise of plastic recycling. In this research briefing, we summarize the science on the limitations of plastic recycling and the skewed statistics that are often used to oversell its potential.
Quezon City. The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition has detected hazardous chemicals in plastic balls used to decorate Christmas trees. Often sold without any labeling information and warning, these pretty ornaments from recycled plastic could be packed with some of the most harmful substances found in electronic waste or e-waste.
IPEN Quick Views on the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to Develop an International Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution
The Plastics Treaty INC-4 negotiations ended with a 77-page longcompilation draft.
By Tripti Arora, Coordinator, IPEN South Asia Hub, IPEN Gender Coordinator
As plastic pollution spirals into a full-scale environmental and health crisis, the world is witnessing mounting calls for urgent, comprehensive action. A Global Plastics Treaty is now on the agenda, aiming to curb the toxic toll of plastics across ecosystems and communities. Yet, to be truly effective, this treaty needs to acknowledge a crucial but often overlooked dimension: gender.
Increasing plastic recycling has been presented as a solution to the plastic crisis, but the projected recycling numbers are often based on false assumptions and misleading statistics. These are often intentionally presented to oversell the capacity and promise of plastic recycling.
In this research brief, we summarize the science on the limitations of plastic recycling and the skewed statistics that are often used to oversell its potential.
