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By Jack Graham [[link removed]] | Climate change and nature correspondent, UK

Floods of plastic, literally

Plastic bottles. Disposable coffee cups. Polystyrene packaging. We all know these things are bad for the environment, don't we?

But the scale is jaw-dropping, and the stuff turns up everywhere - not just in landfills and oceans.

A recent study by New Mexico scientists used a new tool to test 62 human placentas [[link removed]] for microplastics. They all contained them.

Now countries are trying to tackle this plastic epidemic, negotiating a global plastics treaty [[link removed]] and introducing new policies like bans on single-use plastics.

One such ban has started being enforced in Lagos, Nigeria, a coastal city of some 24 million people. Our correspondent Bukkie Adebayo reports this week on how the city's ban on polystyrene take-away containers [[link removed]] has triggered a debate on how quickly these measures should be introduced.

A woman sorts plastic waste in Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria May 19, 2023. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja

Nigeria is one of the world's biggest plastic polluters - coming in sixth place globally according to one report [[link removed]]. And plastic waste in Lagos’ drains and waterways has got so out of control that it is actually causing floods, said Joshua Babayemi, an environmental toxicologist at the University of Medical Sciences.

He said clogged drainage systems from plastics can also lead to pools of stagnant water, increasing the threat from vector-borne disease [[link removed]].

Despite this toxic cocktail, some warn that abrupt bans could take a heavy toll on workers in plastic factories, small-scale restaurants and food vendors. And it could derail a national phase-out plan to make a slower 'just transition'.

"Investing in toxic plastics is no longer an option but people need to keep their jobs," said Leslie Adogame, whose environmental nonprofit helped draw up the plan with the Nigerian government, the EU and United Nations.

The world's plastic problem

The challenge facing the world is that plastic production continues to surge, causing greenhouse gas emissions - as nearly all single-use plastic comes from fossil fuels - and polluting our lands and oceans.

Despite increasing awareness of the problem, plastic production around the world has increased 20-times faster than our capacity to recycle it over the last decade, according to Swiss-based research consultancy Earth Action.

Thomson Reuters Foundation/Jack Graham

But the good news is solutions are growing too.

Nations met in Nairobi [[link removed]], Kenya, last November to discuss details over a U.N. treaty to tackle the crisis, which is expected to be in place by the end of this year. On the table are ideas such as targets to reduce production, and transparency standards for chemicals used in plastics.

Governments are introducing policies [[link removed]] like bans on single-use plastics, taxes on production, and extended producer responsibility (EPR) - where producers are held responsible for the end of a product's life cycle.

And the private sector is stepping up with plenty of exciting and unusual innovations. In Indonesia, for example, a firm in Jakarta is turning plastic waste into eco-friendly bricks [[link removed]] to support the construction boom, our correspondent Michael Taylor reported recently.

Meanwhile, many have touted seaweed as a key to greener packaging. A firm in London says it was inspired by how fake caviar was invented in the 1930s using seaweed, reported Wired Magazine [[link removed]]. Well, that certainly beats toxic chemicals.

See you next week,

Jack

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Read all of our coverage here [[link removed]] Discover more Nature [[link removed]] Climate Risks [[link removed]] Net Zero [[link removed]] Just Transition [[link removed]] Climate Justice [[link removed]] Green Cities [[link removed]] Thank you for reading!

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