Lessons Learned from Existing Policy Instruments A Whole-System Approach to Plastic Management: Applying

Lessons Learned from Existing Policy Instruments

Many countries have implemented policies to manage plastic pollution, yet there is little evidence of how effective these policies are. Consumption of plastics was initially greatest in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, so these countries have the longest experience in addressing the negative consequences of plastic pollution. For decades, plastics policies were considered part of solid waste management, and solutions were sought in the downstream part of the plastic life cycle—after plastic products were consumed and became waste—but extension toward upstream policy interventions (waste prevention at the design and production stages) has been evident.

Lower-income countries have been implementing plastic management policies more recently, often in a more fragmented manner (Alpizar et al. 2020). For example, in 2002, Bangladesh became the first developing country to ban single-use plastic bags after plastic items were found to clog drainage systems during floods. The range of policy instruments can be grouped into regulatory, economic, and informative measures (table 4.1). Direct regulations are the most commonly used policy instruments, having been implemented 3.5 times more often than economic instruments and 3 times more often than information instruments (Karasik et al. 2020).

Several plastic pollution reduction policies are aimed specifically at plastic packaging and packaging waste. Many countries operate deposit-refund schemes that encourage the return of plastic containers for reuse and recycling (for example, Australia, Canada, Chile, countries in the European Union, Mexico, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States) (UNEP 2020, 2021; Watkins et al. 2019). Most of the policies focus on specific plastic products such as bans or taxes on lightweight plastic bags. Bans and product restrictions were found to be effective where affordable alternatives were available and strong enforcement mechanisms existed (Hasson, Leiman, and Visser 2007). Some countries successfully used bans to reduce the consumption of plastic bags and food packaging (for example, Bulgaria, Fiji, Rwanda [see box 4.1], and Tanzania). In Italy, a ban on plastic bags stimulated an increase in the production of biodegradable and compostable bags.

None of the countries analyzed in the case studies rely on a single policy instrument to reduce plastic waste. All of them, like the OECD countries, use a mix of plastics policy instruments. A policy mix can be made more effective by implementing complementary policy instruments simultaneously. For example, appropriate collection and recycling systems are required together with raising awareness and incentivizing people and firms to separate waste at the source. Otherwise, people and firms lose motivation when they see that their segregated waste is mixed again by collectors. Where affordable alternative products are lacking, complementary policies should address the