There is no "away": A study on how to move from a linear to a circular plastic economy

Today?s global plastic economy is more or less linear as only a small fraction of plastics is being recycled. Low price of oil, high demand of plastics and fragmentation of the plastics economy are some of the main factors behind the current linear plastics economy. As a result of this fragmented and malfunctioning plastics economy, between 4.8 and 12.7 million metric tons (MMT) of plastic waste ended up in the ocean in 2010, and this amount is expected to fourfold by 2050. This number only considers the leakage from land-based sources, while the leakage from all sources is at least 15 MMT per year. There are currently no global estimates focusing solely on the leakage from sea- based sources, such as fishing. This study investigates the potential of developing economically feasible, environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable end of life alternatives for plastic waste, with focus on discarded fishing gear sourcing directly from fisheries as well as gear collected from the marine environment i.e. abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). Not only is the global fishing industry a major user of plastic materials, but these materials are largely sent to landfills, incinerated or leaked into the oceans after their first lifecycle. The overall goal is to highlight the need for a holistic evaluation of current collection and end-of-life systems for plastic waste and marine litter, and to offer concrete solutions to the issues caused by mismanaged plastic waste, focusing especially on fishing gear and ALDFG.

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Today’s global plastic economy is more or less linear as only a small fraction of plastics is being recycled. Low price of oil, high demand of plastics and fragmentation of the plastics economy are some of the main factors behind the current linear plastics economy. As a result of this fragmented and malfunctioning plastics economy, between 4.8 and 12.7 million metric tons of plastic waste ended up in the ocean in 2010, and this amount is expected to fourfold by 2050. This number only considers the leakage from land-based sources, while the leakage from all sources is at least 15 MMT per year. There are currently no global estimates focusing solely on the leakage from sea-based sources, such as fishing. This study investigates the potential of developing economically feasible, environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable end of life (EOL) alternatives for plastic waste, with focus on discarded fishing gear sourcing directly from fisheries (FG) as well as gear collected from the marine environment i.e. abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). Not only is the global fishing industry a major user of plastic materials, but these materials are largely sent to landfills, incinerated or leaked into the oceans after their first lifecycle. Marine litter is fatal to millions of animals of at least 260 species annually. In addition, plastics work as rafts for invasive species and pathogens between regions, hinder the gas exchange between sea water and seafloor sediments, and smother seafloor inhabitants. Marine litter has also a negative effect on industries such as fisheries and tourism, due to for example pollution of popular beaches, loss or damage of fishing gear and obstruction of motors. There are only a few peer reviewed, quantitative studies analyzing the downstream solutions for post-consumer plastics in general, and no quantitative studies that analyze the downstream solutions for marine litter, including ALDFG. In addition, there is only one study that analyzes the sustainability of different EOL alternatives for FG in Norway. This study will contribute to the knowledge base that allows for the development of environmentally sustainable, socially acceptable and economically feasible EOL alternatives for plastic waste and marine plastic litter, and more specifically, FG and ALDFG in geographically isolated regions where plastic waste from fisheries is a major issue. Northern Norway and the northern island of New Zealand will be used as case studies. The overall goal is to highlight the need for a holistic and systematic evaluation of current collection and EOL systems for plastic waste and marine litter, and to offer concrete solutions to the issues caused by mismanaged plastic waste, focusing especially on FG and ALDFG.