“We must be careful that the question of recycling does not replace the discussion of reducing plastic production“, warned French Minister for Environmental Change Christophe Bechu ahead of the debates.
This issue is actually becoming a sticking point in the negotiations, with many countries preferring to support a better waste management option rather than reducing its production.
However, two-thirds of the plastics produced in the world end up as managed waste after a lifetime and one or few uses.
According to the OECD report, of the 460 million tons of plastics produced each year, only 9% of the waste is actually recycled and 22% is abandoned (uncontrolled landfills, open burning or disposal in nature). At some point, most of them will inevitably end up in our oceans.
“Even if we increase our recycling rates and increase productivity at the same time, we will be falling behind in solving the problem. So, firstly we reduce and secondly we increase the share of recycling“, the French minister added.
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