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Review
. 2024 Jun;42(6):436-458.
doi: 10.1177/0734242X231188664. Epub 2023 Jul 31.

A review of plastic waste circular actions in seven developing countries to achieve sustainable development goals

Navarro Ferronato  1 , Amani Maalouf  2   3 , Adeline Mertenat  4 , Ankur Saini  5 , Ashish Khanal  6 , Benedetta Copertaro  7 , Dotanhan Yeo  8 , Haniyeh Jalalipour  9 , Julio Raldúa Veuthey  10 , Leidy Marcela Ulloa-Murillo  11 , Milan Sebastian Thottathil  12 , Norshah Aizat Bin Shuaib  13   14 , Ryan Caplin  3   15 , Vivek Jaisree Mohandas  16
Affiliations
Review

A review of plastic waste circular actions in seven developing countries to achieve sustainable development goals

Navarro Ferronato et al. Waste Manag Res. 2024 Jun.

Abstract

Plastic waste circularity is a priority at a global level. Sustainable development goals (SDGs) set the ways to go, and the circular economy principles underlined the 'green' strategies to be employed. However, in practice, there is still much to do, especially in developing countries, where open burning and open dumping still represent the common way of plastic waste disposal. This review aims to analyse current plastic waste circular approaches in low-middle income settings. Seven countries were selected based on the economic level and data availability from the authors, and analysed to collect and critically discuss the actions implemented at a city level. Examples of waste minimization and recycling strategies, selective collection systems and public campaigns are reported from Africa, Asia and Latin America. First, a background analysis related to physical and governance aspects of municipal solid waste management systems of the chosen settings was conducted. The assessment was focused on the treatment processes or minimization actions. Then, the applicability of the projects to achieve the SDGs was commented on. The outcomes of the research underline the need to: (1) scale up small-scale and pilot projects, (2) disseminate good practices in more low- to middle-income settings, (3) create synergies among international partners for further replications in cities. Urgent solutions to plastic waste pollution are needed. The review presented practical actions to be implemented now to boost plastic waste circularity in developing cities.

Keywords: Solid waste management; circular economy; informal recycling; sustainable development; waste pickers; waste valorization.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Approach followed to assess plastic waste circular actions in developing countries. CE: circular economy; GNI: gross national income; MSW: municipal solid waste; SDGs: sustainable development goals.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Municipal solid waste and plastic waste generated per country per year.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Regulations and laws implemented along the years in the seven countries analysed. Dark grey: other laws or policies about the environment and social inclusion; Grey: MSW management plans; Light grey: first laws about solid waste management; White: specific regulations about plastic pollution.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Examples of plastic waste recycling in developing contexts: (a) La Paz, Bolivia: bins and chairs made of recycled plastic waste (PP and PE), (b) Penang, Malaysia: decorations at Upcycle Park made of waste such as bottles and containers (courtesy of Seberang Perai City Council), (c) Abidjan, Ivory Coast: construction of a classroom with plastic bricks, (d) Lamu Island, Kenya: boat structure made from 7 tonnes of recycled plastic (FlipFlopi), (e) Bogota, Colombia: urban furniture made of plastic wood installed in a bike lane, and (f) Nepal: first plastic road of Nepal (Source: Courtesy of Green Road Waste Management).
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Relations between circular actions and SDGs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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