Control of microplastic emissions during recycling and management of plastic waste

Abstract

The inadequate collection and disposal of plastic waste has caused marine plastic pollution to become a most pressing environmental issue. As part of the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nation Environment Assembly has implemented an initiative “End Plastic Pollution: Towards an internationally legally binding instrument”, which resolves to set up an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to draft a legally binding agreement by 2024 and to create a science-policy panel on chemicals and waste to fill the gap between science and policy. To do this, the INC needs up-to-date scientific knowledge of marine plastic pollution. The National Institute for Environmental Studies in Japan researches the lifecycle of plastics─design, production, reuse, disposal, and recycling─to collect scientific findings for more effective and efficient reduction of plastic waste and pollution. This manuscript summarizes our previous studies, outlines current results, and introduces future directions of our research on the emissions and control of microplastics (plastics <5 mm in length) during recycling and management of plastic waste. We hope that the results will contribute to a better understanding of the behavior and fate of microplastics in the environment that will help us to “End Plastic Pollution”.