Research led by the Curtin University in Perth, Australia has found that an increase in plastic waste across developing countries has led to an increase in it being burned for heat and cooking.
The team, who examined the energy consumption of developing countries across the Global South, found that many are resorting to burning plastics due to the cost of gas and electricity.
In developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America the team found the practice of burning plastic among general waste to be especially prevalent in areas which lacked waste-management systems, such as urban slum communities, where clean cooking alternatives are largely unaffordable and even fuels such as wood and charcoal are hard to come by.
Plastic, on the other hand, is everywhere and its availability will only increase given that global plastic use is forecast to triple by 2060.
Lead researcher Dr Bishal Bharadwaj, from the Curtin Institute for Energy Transition (CIET) explained the risks involved: ‘Burning plastic releases harmful chemicals such as dioxins, furans and heavy metals into the air, which can have a range of health and welfare impacts such as lung disease.
‘These risks are particularly pronounced among women and children, as they spend more time at home. But the pollution doesn’t just stay in households who burn it: it spreads across neighbourhoods and cities, affecting everyone.
‘In a survey, 13 per cent of Nigerian households reported using garbage as a cooking fuel, while soil and food samples in Indonesia have revealed dangerous toxin levels linked to burning plastic.’
‘By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas and many cities already struggle to provide basic services such as waste collection.
‘This will be a growing problem, given global plastic consumption is expected to triple by 2060 and inequality will deepen with rapid, unmanaged urbanisation in developing countries.’
CIET Director Professor Peta Ashworth added: ‘Many governments are not addressing the issue effectively because it’s usually concentrated in areas such as slums, which are often neglected.
‘A ban on plastic burning might not help if people have no other option to keep warm and cook their food.
‘Possible ways to address the problem include subsidies for cleaner fuels to make them affordable for poorer families, better waste management to prevent plastic from piling up in slum areas, education campaigns to inform communities about the dangers of burning plastic and alternative low-cost, innovative cooking solutions tailored to lower-income areas.’