BIUSTRE

Integrated and consolidated review of plastic waste management and bio-based biodegradable plastics: challenges and opportunities

Show simple item record

dc.contributor.author Mazhandu, Zvanaka S.
dc.contributor.author Muzenda, Edison
dc.contributor.author Mamvura, Tirivaviri Augustine
dc.contributor.author Belaid, Mohamed
dc.contributor.author Nhubu, Trust
dc.date.accessioned 2021-02-17T08:38:01Z
dc.date.available 2021-02-17T08:38:01Z
dc.date.issued 2020-10-12
dc.identifier.citation Mazhandu, Z.S. et al (2020) Integrated and consolidated review of plastic waste management and bio-based biodegradable plastics: challenges and opportunities. Sustainability, 12(20), 8360, https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208360. en_US
dc.identifier.issn 2071-1050
dc.identifier.uri http://repository.biust.ac.bw/handle/123456789/267
dc.description.abstract Cumulative plastic production worldwide skyrocketed from about 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 8.3 billion tonnes in 2015, with 6.3 billion tonnes (76%) ending up as waste. Of that waste, 79% is either in landfills or the environment. The purpose of the review is to establish the current global status quo in the plastics industry and assess the sustainability of some bio-based biodegradable plastics. This integrative and consolidated review thus builds on previous studies that have focused either on one or a few of the aspects considered in this paper. Three broad items to strongly consider are: Biodegradable plastics and other alternatives are not always environmentally superior to fossil-based plastics; less investment has been made in plastic waste management than in plastics production; and there is no single solution to plastic waste management. Some strategies to push for include: increasing recycling rates, reclaiming plastic waste from the environment, and bans or using alternatives, which can lessen the negative impacts of fossil-based plastics. However, each one has its own challenges, and country-specific scientific evidence is necessary to justify any suggested solutions. In conclusion, governments from all countries and stakeholders should work to strengthen waste management infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries while extended producer responsibility (EPR) and deposit refund schemes (DPRs) are important add-ons to consider in plastic waste management, as they have been found to be effective in Australia, France, Germany, and Ecuador. en_US
dc.description.sponsorship This research was funded by the University of Johannesburg and Botswana International University of Science and Technology. en_US
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher MDPI en_US
dc.subject Biodegradable plastics feedstocks en_US
dc.subject Deposit refund scheme en_US
dc.subject Extended producer responsibility en_US
dc.subject Marine litter en_US
dc.subject Plastic pollution impacts en_US
dc.subject Single use plastics en_US
dc.title Integrated and consolidated review of plastic waste management and bio-based biodegradable plastics: challenges and opportunities en_US
dc.description.level phd en_US
dc.description.accessibility unrestricted en_US
dc.description.department cme en_US


Files in this item

Icon
Name: Mazhandu_S_2020.pdf
Size: 21.50Mb
Format: PDF
View/Open

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record

Search BIUSTRE


Browse

My Account