The UNEP has revealed a 17-year roadmap for cutting pollution.

 

Plastic pollution could be slashed by 80 per cent by 2040, according to a report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

 

This ambitious target relies on major policy changes and the deployment of existing technologies in the way we produce, use and dispose of plastics.

Last week, representatives from around 170 countries gathered in Paris to negotiate the world's first global treaty to curb plastic pollution. They agreed to produce a draft of the legally binding pact before their next meeting in November.

 

This could see production reduced, plastic-making chemicals limited and recycling facilities improved.

So what would need to change in our daily lives to reach UNEP's goal?

Thailand is a major generator of plastic waste. In 2020, the country generated an estimated 2 million tonnes of plastic waste, ranking it 10th in the world. Of this amount, only about 500,000 tonnes was properly retrieved and recycled. The remaining 1.5 million tonnes was either mismanaged or disposed of in landfills.