By Cristina Hodgson • Published: 12 Dec 2019 • 19:44
WITH the COP25 coming to an end in the Spanish capital, it comes as a huge shock that of the world’s total 348 million tonnes of annual plastic production, Europe accounts for 60 million tonnes, about half of which gets thrown away and only about 30 per cent of that waste is recycled.
The world faces a severe plastic waste crisis and Spain tops the stats as one of the highest European countries dumps most plastic packaging in landfill.
Europe together recycle less than a third of the plastic they throw away, Hamburg-based research firm Statista said in a report yesterday.
Reports suggest that EU countries vary widely in tackling the problem, however the recently revealed data from Statista highlights that while only 0.1 per cent of plastic packaging ending up in landfills in Germany, a shocking 38.2 per cent heads to dumps in Spain.
The DossierPlus also investigates the negative impacts of plastic production on the environment, including its impact on emissions and therefore climate change, as well as health risks caused by pollution. As Euro Weekly News understands, discarded plastic degrades into small particles that contaminate the environment. These microplastics end up in oceans, fishes’ organs and even the human food chain and are intentionally added to a long list of products in the cosmetic industry. Most clothing is also made from synthetic fabric containing plastic microfibers which additionally end up in wastewaters. With bio-based plastic as a controversial alternative for sustainability, the report suggests rethinking the lifecycle of plastic products starting from material design.
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