Attitudes towards Plastic Pollution: A Review and Mitigations beyond Circular Economy

Abstract

Plastic pollution has received unprecedented attention globally, and there are increasing calls to control it. Despite this, the uptrends of plastic consumption and mismanaged plastic waste show little sign of reversal. This review aims to examine the attitudes of various societal groups towards plastics to identify the behavioral barriers to reduce plastic pollution and synthesize effective countermeasures. It achieved the aim through content analysis of the most recent literature related to attitudes and behaviors towards plastic pollution, consumption and management, as well as an important emerging theme on plastics recycling ecosystem and economy. It reveals the general negative attitudes of the participants in the studies reviewed towards plastic pollution and their willing attitude to act against it by supporting campaigns, paying for environmentally friendly alternatives and supporting solution-based interventions from governments including policies, regulations and guidelines. Inconvenience due to limited options for plastic items and habits are two main barriers to behavioral changes. This underscores the crucial roles of governments to tap into these attitudes to lead and intensify plastic pollution control through a multi-pronged approach that facilitates systematic substitution of conventional plastics with environmentally friendly alternatives as well as the stepping-up of the circular plastic economy and industrial symbiosis. This review deems that progressively regulated capping of conventional plastic production and consumption could help the transition, and the public could complement government endeavors through education, mutual influence and awareness-raising which could also be driven by governmental policies and programs.