EXPLORING CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES FOR PLASTIC WASTE REDUCTION

A SUSTAINABLE HOUSEHOLD POLICY INITIATIVES IN ASEAN.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The production of plastics has increased in the world in the recent decades. Plastic materials are used in many industrial applications and have become quite beneficial for modern society since they are light, inexpensive, and very adaptable. Among other things, they enable us to preserve food, insulate buildings, operate electronics, and improve the fuel economy of our cars. The number of plastic debris in the ocean has gotten quite bad in the ASEAN member countries. According to the amount of improperly managed plastic waste, six of the ten ASEAN nations are among the top twenty. Growing public awareness of plastic pollution in recent years has raised awareness and opened the door for more robust legislative involvement in this area. Many countries and economies have implemented policies specifically aimed at reducing the negative impacts associated with different stages of the plastics lifecycle. One such policy is the ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Plastic Pollution in the ASEAN member states.  Additionally, international fora like the G20 and G7 as well as the UN Environment Assembly are paying increased attention to plastic pollution and marine litter. By outlining the obstacles and solutions for reducing plastic waste, a sustainable household policy project in ASEAN states, this paper aims to educate and assist these initiatives. To increase waste management practices that are infused with traditional customs, it is recommended that policies like public education, awareness, advertising, financial contributions, policy support, community planning, research, innovation, and capacity building at households and communities be promoted.

1. INTRODUCTION

Parkesine and Bakelite, the first synthetic plastics, were created in the 19th century. Since 1950, the world’s plastic output has increased 230 times, mainly from thermosetting and thermoplastics (OECD, 2022). However, the growing volume of Municipal Solid Waste and single-use plastic products contribute to environmental issues. Despite their unique properties, plastics can remain in landfills or marine environments.

Over the past 70 years, the production of plastic has grown significantly (Figure 1). Only two million tons were manufactured worldwide in 1950. It now produces over 450 million tons (Samborska, 2019). Due in significant measure to insufficiently developed waste management infrastructure, growing middle-class nations like those in Southeast Asia, and rapid urbanization, the world is currently experiencing a hotspot for plastic pollution. Because plastics are so widely used and flexible, this has led to an increase in their use (Figure 2). Plastic waste, on the other hand, becomes a pollution when it is not recycled, burned, or stored in sealed landfills (Figure 3). Each year, one to two million tons of plastic move into our oceans, damaging ecosystems and species (Figure 4).

Plastic pollution is a global issue, with 19-23 million tons of waste leaking into aquatic ecosystems annually (School & Association, 2023). Environmental, social, economic and health risks of plastics have to be addressed in the same line as other environmental stressors such as climate change, erosion of other ecosystems as well as the use of resources. In case of this trend, by 2050, the overall mass of plastic in oceans is expected to exceed all fish (Figure 5). Improving plastic waste management, especially in poorer countries, is crucial to tackling this problem.

The waste management hierarchy prioritizes waste avoidance over recycling and disposal. The 3Rs system, commonly used in community education programs, includes source reduction as the top alternative. Reuse, recycling, composting, incineration without recovery, and landfilling are the other alternatives. Having a variety of waste management choices is desirable for successful waste management, as there is no single “best” or “worst” method for different waste fractions.

This paper explores the challenges and opportunities for reducing plastic waste in ASEAN through sustainable household policies. It examines key barriers, highlights best practices, and proposes policy interventions to enhance waste management at the domestic level.

The current plastics lifecycle is far from circular:  Interactive Charts on Plastic Pollution of the lifecycle from production to the disposal and impacts it cause when not properly disposed (Roser & Ritchie, 2018).

Figure 1: Historical global plastic production from 1950 – 2019.

Figure 2: Global plastic consumption after production in 2019.

Figure 3: Plastics that are recycled, landfilled, incinerated or mismanaged, 2019.

Figure 4: Plastic is leakage into the environment (ocean) due to mismanagement.

Figure 5: Projected future plastic accumulation in the ocean in line with historical data

Figure 8: Home plastics that can be recycled

Sources of Plastic Pollution from ASEAN Household and Management Process

More than half of the plastic, which we use, is discarded after a single use, causing landfills to overflow and causing acute degradation of marine ecosystems. Household size and income are factors that lead to the production of household plastic waste. Devolved county or municipal authorities are the normal players in waste management in ASEAN, but they are not required to meet all the required standards because of insufficient capacity and socio-economic reasons. Poor roads, inadequate policies, lack of policy enforcements, inadequate recycling facilities and overburdened trucks make it difficult for waste collection trucks to access residential or commercial areas, resulting in plastic waste accumulation in temporary holding centers, collection sites, outlet drains, and open grounds (Ng et al., 2023).

TACKLING THE ASEAN PLASTIC WASTE CRISIS

To achieve the goal to reduce pollution and waste generation in ASEAN, Michael Fink, Country Director of Lao PDR, believes that policy advancements are necessary. Based on this, he identified four main strategies to fight plastic pollution: making plastics more circular by properly separating, collecting, and recycling it; substituting single-use plastics with local alternatives, such as bioplastics; raising awareness on the industry and community levels; and implementing policies that would establish a sustainable and circular plastic economy (Workers et al., 2024). All of these ASEAN strategies are still in their infancy and require further investigation, equipment, and exploitation.

The approach used by ASEAN countries to tackle waste is regionally blocked and only focuses on specific areas, resulting in significant oversights of an issue affecting the region on a large scale. For example, managing waste through incineration is only available and accessible in some regions, such as Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam (Ng et al., 2023). Collaboration between major stakeholders, including government, non-government, and international bodies, is needed in order to tackle this issue.

Current Trends and Projections of Plastic Waste and Management System

Following the current trends, the plastics within our oceans are projected to double by 2030 and triple by 2040 (Sabatira, 2020). Southeast Asian countries are considered significant contributors to the leakage of land-based plastic waste into the seas annually (Sabatira, 2020).

The Chinese plastic importation ban has led to over twice the volume of plastic waste being dumped in Southeast Asia in nations like Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia (Ng et al., 2023). Countries including Malaysia and the Philippines are returning the plastics to Western countries, while Thailand and Vietnam have restricted the further import of plastic waste. Despite that, Southeast Asian countries are still struggling with the influx of plastic waste generation within their regions. Out of 27.8 million tons of plastic waste generated in Thailand, 27% is improperly disposed of, and similar situations have been seen in bordering countries, including Malaysia (Ng et al., 2023). More than half of Indonesia’s landfill is made up of open dumpsites without proper safety measures; these places increase the risk of floods, fires, and refuse avalanches, which have already claimed many lives in places including the Philippines and India (Ng et al., 2023).

Waste Governance in ASEAN (Institution, Policy and Regulatory Profile)

Most of ASEAN countries have already established national strategies to address challenges related to waste management broadly through Environmental Act, and other Green Growth, Sustainable Development and Climate Change policy, regulatory framework, and strategies.

Countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand have specific laws on waste management. From the institutional aspect, waste management policy making at the national level, is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment, while many other line-ministries also have roles in regulating specific waste streams (Such as; Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Industry for healthcare waste and industrial waste, respectively). Sometimes, a disharmony and lack of coordination among these institutions and stakeholders (for example, overlapping of the responsibilities and the authority) become a prominent cause of mismanagement of waste.

At the local level, provincial government, urban local bodies namely, municipality is directly responsible for handling waste management services. In addition, non-governmental sector such as private sector, NGOs, and community participation has also been progressing as public-private-partnerships in waste sector (Sabatira, 2020).

Identification of the Challenges or Gaps and the Opportunities

The ASEAN region is implementing innovative projects and social entrepreneurs to tackle the complex plastic issue. Bye-Bye Plastic Bags, Plastic Tides Philippines, Second Life, and Octopus are examples of such initiatives. These programs seek to offer more opportunities to waste pickers by raising awareness, conducting clean-ups, and using artificial intelligence technology to address environmental and economic effects.

A strong integrated action to combat plastic waste challenges have pave way for a new era for ASEAN since they are mostly affected by the impacts of ocean plastic pollution and so much attention is drawn to these nations, these nations can become the regions with the boldest green ambitions, taking key steps to solve the challenges.

The ASEAN nations have the choice to participate in the current negotiations of the Global Plastic Treaty as an ambitious regional leader, thanks to concrete cooperation and dialogue. The ASEAN nations, Indonesia and Vietnam, for example, were the first to join the Global Plastic Action Partnership setting up National Plastic Action Partnerships. Other ASEAN countries (such as Cambodia) pursued the opportunities and assistance of this international network. Being part of such partnerships and organizations, ASEAN countries facilitate successful collaboration, learning at the national and international levels.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Plastic waste is an increasing problem in the ASEAN region, with a complicated mixture and new streams of waste. To solve this, the countries in ASEAN must stop treating plastic waste as a resource and instead employ it as a circular economy. These include the re-design of products, introduction of reusable systems, and development of materials and technology to substitute disposable or single-used plastics.

Front-end solutions, such as sustainable consumption resources management, should also be explored. Promoting waste value chains in the private sector can assist in pooling the resources and sharing the responsibilities of waste management. It is essential to develop Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs) that are appropriate to local waste characteristics and other social, cultural, economic, and environmental issues.

ASEAN countries should also promote industrial symbiosis and waste exchange activities. For hazardous plastic waste, harmonized definitions and codes should be developed and inventories prepared. Plastic pollution is an expanding worldwide issue that must be addressed through combined means, policy adjustments, technology advancements, and community involvement. Through these challenges, the households will be able to shift towards sustainable practices and remain safe of the environment.

Compulsory education about garbage sorting methods, ought to be used in homes and other industries to enhance recycling and adoption of sustainable solutions. In the next five years, ASEAN governments must implement plastic waste awareness in schools and communities through curriculum and awareness programs. In Ghana, a case study to determine the management of used face/nose masks reported that the understanding and practices of waste management were directly connected to the age and level of education of a person (Beyuo et al., 2023).

A harmonized regional, national, and local waste management policy framework based on the 3Rs is critical for domestic waste management success in ASEAN. The right combination of regulatory, economic, and social instruments with incentives for strong compliance monitoring in ASEAN households is also important.

In the ASEAN context, improving organizational efficiency and promoting inter-departmental/agency cooperation is crucial. Existing sources of revenue by waste generators can be reinforced with innovative financing schemes such as the use of public private partnerships (PPP), development finance investment, and the polluters pays principle. Synergizing, encouraging, and ensuring co-responsibilities among different stakeholders in waste management, along with the household sector, is the key to sustainable waste management.

Incentives and minimal financial household support to waste management companies to motivate them to enhance waste management participations. ASEAN governments should encourage local planning and policy support to allow for unrestricted mobility in residential areas for appropriate waste segregation and disposal. Institutions and schools should improve their capacity building, innovation, and research in environmental related field. This would improve scientific knowledge, transfer marine technology, and encourage a creative approach to combat marine plastic debris; strengthen the ability of households, communities, regions, and the country to create and carry out national action plans or initiatives; and encourage the integration and application of scientific knowledge to improve science-based decisions and policies on the prevention and management of plastic waste.

CONCLUSION

Plastic pollution is a worldwide challenge that cannot be resolved without a multidimensional response to establish sustainable policies. The limitations of current efforts include poor waste management facilities, reliance on plastic manufacturing economically, and lack of awareness among people. Although convenient, plastics create serious ecological problems endangering human health and marine animals. Innovation opportunities include the cooperation of industries, governments, and communities to adopt recycling, encourage the use of biodegradable options, and increase the awareness of the population on proper use of plastic waste. The role of domestic household sectors is essential to minimize plastic footprints, establish regulations, fund research, enhance education, and enhance recycling facilities. The solution to a more sustainable future is also to address socio-economic disparities and adopt a unified global treaty.