Across the plastic waste technical assistance projects delivered by the BRS Secretariat, there are a number of areas and issues of focus, beyond the core pillars of the PWA. These focus areas have developed on the basis on themes of interest, synergies with other priorities of the BRS Conventions, and the needs of Parties.
Remote and mountainous areas
Remote and mountainous areas are among the areas that are most affected by plastic waste. Yet, while much attention in recent years has focused on the impacts of plastic waste on the world’s oceans, pollution in mountain regions has rarely made the headlines.
In this context, the BRS Secretariat has been delivering technical assistance projects and activities to focus specifically on strengthening capacity and awareness of plastic waste in remote and mountainous areas.
Further information about this area of plastic waste technical assistance can be found here.
Chemicals in plastics
Every plastic item – including textiles, toys, (food) packaging and electronic appliances – contains additives that determine the properties of the material and influence the cost of production. Typical additives include stabilizers, fillers, plasticizers, colourants, as well as functional additives such as flame retardants and curing agents. Many of these are dangerously hazardous to human health and the environment.
Mismanagement of plastic waste can also result in releases of these hazardous chemicals, such as dioxins and furans emitted from open burning of plastic waste. When plastic products are recycled, it is highly likely that the additives will be integrated into the new products.
In this context, ensuring the environmentally sound management of plastics not only furthers the implementation of the PWA under the Basel Convention, but supports synergies with the Stockholm Convention’s requirement for Parties to take measures to reduce or eliminate releases of persistent organic pollutants from intentional production and use, unintentional production, and from stockpiles and waste.
BRS technical assistance projects are underway to address these challenges, by providing incentives to reduce the production and use of additives/products containing hazardous additives as well as to improve the information flow, transparency and traceability of hazardous additives in plastic products, both between producers and consumers as well as between the various actors of the value chains.
Further information about the activities and projects in this space is available here.
Women and vulnerable populations
Plastic pollution can have the greatest impacts on the poorest and most vulnerable populations. Segments of these populations predominantly work in the informal waste sector and/or live in the vicinity of open dumpsites. Plastic pollution directly and indirectly threatens the full and effective enjoyment of all human rights, including the rights to life, water and sanitation, food, health, housing, culture and development.
Women are represented in the greatest numbers at the base of the recycling chain, most often as informal waste pickers and sorters of recyclables, with limited upward mobility. They also tend to be less represented in formal employment in the waste management and recycling sector.
Informal waste workers play a crucial role in the collection of plastics, especially in countries where robust waste management services are lacking. However, informal waste management may present problems for both workers (exposing women, men and children to health problems) and the environment. The work is hazardous, and children are often exposed to danger since informal recycling is commonly practised at the community level, meaning they grow up around waste and informal incineration sites. Integrating the informal sector into formal waste management strategies can play a key role in plastic waste management in developing countries.
Understanding these influences on behaviour and attitudes in different cultures can lead to more effective policymaking and strategies. Policies and strategies can also more effectively support the involvement of women and vulnerable populations along the plastics value chain, whilst at the same time reducing harmful exposure during recycling processes.
In this context, technical assistance activities have been delivered to enhance understanding of the important role of women and vulnerable populations, including informal sector workers, in the management of plastic waste. Activities include conducting situational analyses, raising awareness and providing training on plastic waste and chemicals management focusing on vulnerable populations and gender.