Lecturer in Environmental Management, Brunel University, London

Postdoctoral Researcher in the Economics of Circular Plastics, University of Oxford

The author does not work, consult, own shares, or accept funding from any company or organization that can benefit from this article, and has not disclosed any related affiliation beyond academic appointments.

Brunel University of London and Oxford University provide funding as members of The Conversation UK.

Investor Warren Buffett once said: "Only when the tide recedes, you will find out who is swimming naked." For the plastic recycling industry, the epidemic is a bit like a low tide, exposing its deep-seated structural problems.

Specifically, COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerability of the plastic recycling industry to changes in oil prices. The economic shutdown caused by the pandemic has led to a reduction in global oil demand, which in turn caused oil prices to plummet. This has changed the manufacturer's preference for making new plastics, first increasing the cost of recycled plastics.

Changes like this have led to an increase in pollution caused by the production of new plastics and have a negative impact on the health of our planet. In the short term, it may also threaten the livelihoods of people engaged in plastic waste management all over the world. In the long run, this may lead to a reduction in investment in the recycling industry, because the company may be concerned about the risk of financial loss.

Since before the pandemic, governments around the world have tended to seek quick solutions to plastic pollution in order to express a decisive position on sustainability. For example, an initiative that usually gains a high degree of political support is to ban the use of disposable plastic plates and cutlery.

However, despite the benefits of this ban, it can only partially solve the larger problem of over-consumption influenced by our modern convenience culture.

These actions seem to be able to solve the problem of plastic waste, but in fact, the proliferation of other disposable items produced by this may lead to more serious environmental consequences. A better plan is to first solve the problem of plastic production at the source.

First, it is time to increase the transparency of the plastic production system.

There is not enough data on the types and quantities of plastics imported and exported between countries, and how these plastics are used, which means that we don’t always know exactly where most of the waste is generated. A monitoring system that can correctly track how plastic flows in different countries will help us better understand where supervision may be required.

For example, tracking technology can be used to illuminate blind spots in plastic data collection, which can track a piece of plastic from its source, along many trade routes, to the end of its journey as trash or recycling.

Analyzing hundreds of thousands of such journeys will help us gain a deeper understanding of the complex political and economic power dynamics affecting the global plastics supply chain.

More importantly, we must promote sustainable plastic waste management within the country by making recycled plastics economically viable, even in places with little recycling infrastructure.

To this end, significant changes to regulations are needed to ensure that companies try to recycle as much as possible, and to adopt incentives to achieve recycling goals and build factories.

In the UK, the plastic packaging tax to be introduced in April 2022 aims to increase the demand for recycled plastics. By imposing a tax on plastic packaging containing less than 30% recycled material at a price of £0.20 per kilogram, the government is creating clear incentives for companies to use recycled plastic when planning product packaging.

Similarly, in the European Union, the plastic packaging tax introduced in January 2021 requires member states to pay a tax of £0.68 per kilogram for non-recyclable plastic packaging.

Although the impact of these taxes may take several years to become clear, both may stimulate the increase in plastic recycling rates and at the same time attract investment in the construction of better recycling facilities. However, if such measures are to be successful, monitoring systems need to be established to ensure that the company does not find a way to evade the law.

Finally, the role of plastic waste in different local cultures cannot be ignored. The convention on how to deal with plastic waste, and the attitude towards informal waste pickers, from acceptance to stigma, will affect the way the plastic waste management system works. If these systems are to be improved, people who are familiar with the customs of each community need to address these factors.

If we want to get rid of plastic in our natural space, we need to promote an inclusive and transparent method to deal with plastic waste.

Write articles and join a growing community of more than 136,600 scholars and researchers from 4,205 institutions.

Copyright © 2010–2021, The Conversation US, Inc.