Today in the world, the equivalent of a garbage truck of plastic is released into the oceans every minute

Will there be a first global treaty to combat plastic pollution by the end of 2024? This is what the representatives of 175 countries are aiming for, who are meeting from today in Kenya to seek concrete measures to combat plastic pollution. The stakes are high because plastic is present everywhere. The figures are also alarming.

According to the UN, the world produces 460 million tonnes of plastic each year. To make the figure more meaningful, the United Nations uses an image: it is the equivalent of a garbage truck of plastic thrown into the oceans every minute. Most of the time, these are packaging, bottles, cigarette butts or other products, often single-use, which are not recycled. On average, only 10% of plastic waste has a new life. The rest ends up in a landfill or in the ocean, or is incinerated. To this we can add microplastics, particles up to 70 times smaller than the thickness of a hair that are found everywhere in the environment, whether in the air or waterways. These microplastics, which we can ingest without realizing it, are bad for our health.

The amount of plastic waste could triple in 2060

Even more worrying: plastic production continues to increase around the world. We produce twice as much plastic waste today as we did 20 years ago. This strong increase is notably linked to the growth of emerging markets. If we continue on this trajectory, the quantity of plastic waste should triple by 2060 according to the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) which is alarmed by this prospect since plastic, made from oil, plays an important role in global warming. In 2019, it represented just over 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Measures have already been taken against this pollution, but they are insufficient. For example, France, like more than 120 countries around the world, has banned straws, disposable cutlery and even plastic bags. But according to the OECD, these measures only apply to a few items that “represent a very small part of waste”. Instead, according to the organization, taxes should be introduced on incineration or landfill to encourage recycling or relaunch deposit systems. Today, only a minority of countries in the world have adopted this type of measure.