Zero Plastic Drive: A Comprehensive Review on Unveiling Innovative Sustainable Solutions for a Circular Plastics Economy

Toward a circular economy for plastics

Plastic waste management, a matter for the 'community'.

The impacts of plastics’ life cycle

In light of global efforts to advance a circular economy for plastics, this study examines Latin America’s transition through three core objectives. First, it analyzes secondary data on plastic production and consumption and the generation, mismanagement, and transboundary trade of plastic waste. Second, it scrutinizes government-led initiatives across the region based on official policy documents. Third, it conducts a SWOT analysis, evaluating the initiatives’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to assess the current landscape of circular product design and business models, as well as their potential to mitigate the environmental impacts of the triple planetary crisis. Findings reveal that plastic production, consumption, and waste are steadily increasing in the region, while waste management and sustainable trade remain insufficient. The circular economy for plastics has gained traction through national strategies, roadmaps, and legal instruments. Its adoption has been notable in Chile and Uruguay, but negligent in several countries. Governments are supporting research into recycled materials and polymer innovation, yet policy gaps persist around microplastics and harmful additives in plastic product design. Most initiatives prioritize circular supply chains and resource recovery business models, while giving limited attention to other models and the underlying drivers and barriers. Furthermore, initiatives often address plastic pollution with weak linkages to climate change and biodiversity loss. This research strengthens the understanding and implementation of actions positioning circular design as pivotal to reducing plastic waste at the source, circular business models as catalysts for low-carbon economies, and the fight against the triple planetary crisis as an environmental objective of circular economy initiatives.

Introduction/background: Waste in various forms, such as solid waste, gaseous waste, and liquid waste, increases as a result of population growth, urbanization, and industrialization, and has a global impact. Waste management entails activities such as reuse, recycling, and reducing waste generation, as well as other strategies to combat the effect of waste generation caused by increasing population and industrialization. Monitoring is a critical function of waste management because it is required to address waste management issues such as waste generation, waste collection, waste transportation, waste treatment, and waste disposal. The article presents plastic waste management in the context of smart cities. Purpose: The goal of the article is to present and compare of the production of plastic waste in Poland and Turkey in the context of smart cities. Sustainable and eco-innovation plastic waste management solutions to reduce plastic waste are provided to be implemented in smart cities. In this study, smart cities are explained, how to manage plastic waste by using smart city components, and methods of dealing with plastic waste are explained. Methodology: The article is based on a review of the literature, own observations and own experience. The currently available plastic waste management solutions were analyzed and examples in the implementation of the technology in a smart city are described. Findings: The incorporation of smart city technology into waste management practices provides a smart way to solve waste issues. The main of plastic waste management is to develop methods to transform plastic waste into a circular economy. As estimated by 2030 plastic leakage to ecosystems should be 30% reduced, double the global recovery of plastic (collection and recycling), and shift to sustainable inputs for remaining plastic, including recycled content, sustainably sourced biocontent, advanced products and reducing unnecessary plastic through a business model, innovation, reduction and substitution. Originality: The goal of waste management is to recover as much useful material as possible, including energy. Waste generated in smart cities is a category of municipal waste. Traditional approaches to waste management have failed because they are not reliable or sustainable because they require a lot of input for little or no work output. The incorporation of smart city technology into waste management practices provides a smart way to solve waste issues. The main of plastic waste management is to develop methods to transform plastic waste into a circular economy. Keywords: Plastic wastes, waste management, smart cities, eco-innovation solutions.

Plastic waste pollution is a growing environmental and economic challenge in Africa, driven by rapid urbanization, increased plastic consumption, and inadequate waste management infrastructure. Traditional linear waste management models, characterized by “take, make, and dispose” practices, have led to significant environmental degradation and public health risks. A circular economy (CE) approach offers a sustainable alternative by promoting plastic waste reduction, reuse, and recycling, transforming waste into valuable resources. This review explores circular economy principles and their application in plastic waste management across African urban centers. Key opportunities include job creation, resource efficiency, private sector investment, and policy-driven waste management reforms. However, challenges such as weak regulatory frameworks, limited infrastructure, informal sector integration, and low public awareness hinder full adoption. The study emphasizes the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration, technological innovation, and policy alignment to achieve a sustainable circular plastic economy in Africa. Keywords: Circular economy, plastic waste, waste management, sustainability, Africa, recycling, policy, innovation

Plastic pollution and infectious diseases

This review reveals the role of linear economy prevalence and mismanagement practices in plastic pollution of aquatic and terrestrial environments and related knowledge gaps in Romania while outlining downstream and upstream solutions to reduce plastic pollution and adopt circular economy strategies. Thus, the major aim of this study is the investigation of the stage of scientific knowledge concerning all these demands in the Romanian context. This work integrates two main approaches: (i) a bibliometric analysis fed by Web of Science and Scopus databases to reveal the current coverage of peer-reviewed literature related to plastic waste in Romania and (ii) a subject-based review to underline the main themes related to plastic waste management, plastic pollution, and mitigating options in Romania in line with circular economy principles. Reducing plastic pollution requires scientific knowledge, multi-sectoral cooperation, and societal awareness. Following this, the topics of plastic waste and plastic pollution appeared to be under-investigated in the literature considering Romania as a case study and concentrated around the 2020 year, emphasizing, in this way, the trendiness of plastic waste concerns and their management in the current research landscape. Our analysis points out that: (i) Romania is facing massive plastic pollution requiring solid improvements in waste management performances; (ii) few peer-reviewed research studies are performed in Romania for both macro and microplastic concerns with unknown pollution levels in most of its geographical regions; (iii) the plastic waste management is still understudied here, while waste statistics are poorly available at local levels; (iv) the perspectives of circular economy transition are still limited, feeding the plastic pollution in the coming years. Several knowledge gaps are identified and must be covered by future research such as (i) adjusting mismanaged plastic waste levels to regional waste management performances and determining littering rates in urban and rural areas to improve the plastic pollution modeling inputs; (ii) examining plastic pollution associated with landfill sites and waste imports; (iii) assessing the sectoral contributions to macro and microplastic pollution of aquatic environments related to municipalities, tourist destinations, agriculture, etc.; (iv) determining retention levels of plastic in river basins and role of riparian vegetation; (v) analyzing microplastics presence in all types of freshwater environments and interlinkage between macroplastic fragmentation and microplastic; (vi) assessing the plastic loads of transboundary rivers related to mismanagement practices; (vii) determining concentrations of microplastics in air, soil, and other land use ecosystems.

Catalytic processing of plastic waste on the rise

Plastic waste (PW) is one of the most rapid-growing waste streams in municipal solid waste all over the world. India has become a global player in the plastic value chain. Despite low consumption, domestic generation and imports create a significant burden on the overall waste management system, which requires in-depth understanding of the scenario and pathways that can mitigate the crisis. Although Indian researchers have widely researched technology-related issues in academic papers, a substantial knowledge gap exists in understanding the problem’s depth and possible solutions. This review article focuses on current plastic production, consumption, and waste generation in India. This review article mainly analyzes data and information regarding Indian PW management and highlights some critical issues such as reverse supply chain, effective PW management, source-specific recovery, and PW rules in India. Comprehensively, this review will help to identify implementable strategies for policymakers and research opportunities for future researchers in holistic PW management and recycling in India, focusing on the circular economy and sustainable development goals.

The growing problem of plastic waste in Nigeria is one of the major environmental issues, primarily influenced by population growth, urbanization, and industrialization. To tackle this problem, this study assessed plastic waste generation and management in Ilorin township, focusing on Gaa-Akanbi and Tanke Oke-Odo residential locations. The study revealed that the average plastic waste generated per capita was estimated at 0.16 kg/cap/day in Gaa-Akanbi and 0.29 kg/cap/day in Tanke Oke-Odo. Furthermore, the composition of plastic waste differed in these areas, with Gaa-Akanbi having a majority of Polyethylene (PE) at 57.05%, followed by Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at 12.83%, Polystyrene (PS) at 12.25%, Polypropylene (PP) at 11.08%, and other types at 6.76%. On the other hand, Tanke Oke-Odo's plastic waste composition consisted of PE (56.28%), PET (15.73%), PS (12.21%), PP (9.65%), and other types (6.12%). Alarmingly, the study found that most residents were using unsustainable waste disposal practices, with 28% handing their waste to collectors, 11% relying on municipal collection bins, 10% resorting to open dumping, and a significant 51% burning their plastic waste, all of which contribute to environmental pollution. Furthermore, excluding investigations on the household waste generation rate for Gaa-akanbi and the generation rate for plastic waste, all other studies showed that p values > 0.05 as confirmed with the aid of statistical evaluation. Therefore, taking urgent action based on these insights is crucial to mitigate the adverse impacts of plastic waste on the environment and human well-being in the region. Therefore, adopting circular economy principles and utilizing the DPSIR framework is practically suitable to address this issue effectively.

This article aims to provide a qualitative-quantitative theoretical basis for the elaboration of an assertive Supply Chain Management (SCM) project that maximizes the performance of a Brazilian system operating Reverse Logistics that collects and separates waste from urban centers and processes it through recycling and/or thermochemical conversion. For this purpose, exploratory research of bibliographic content was conducted on data from the generation, destination, processing, and recovery of plastic Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), in addition to the physical characteristics of this type of waste, plant infrastructure, socioeconomic profile of the urban population and urban development policies that manage materials. The quali-quantitative information of consolidated literature helped in the preparation of the survey – to be answered by professionals of this market segment – whose answers will be complementary to the literature on the mathematical approach by Structural Equation Modelling using the Partial Least Square method in the design of high-precision actions for the Brazilian need for plastic waste management. All this in a business model that generates employment and income, and produces electricity, among other benefits, in the conception of sustainability promoted by the Circular Economy. To complement the methodology used in this work, successful cases in the recovery of materials in addition to future trends in the generation of plastic waste, are also presented as some of the research results.KeywordsPlastic waste Reverse Logistics Supply Chain Management.

Efficiency of consumer behaviour and digital ecosystem in the generation of the plastic waste toward the circular economy

This study is motivated by the need to understand and proffer sustainable circular economy solutions to the persistent challenges associated with plastic waste management in Nigeria. Despite the emerging awareness and increased number of studies conducted on plastic and plastic products in Nigeria, the challenges and opportunities associated with their production, consumption, and post-consumption management are still poorly understood. Besides the large quantity of plastic and plastic products produced locally in Nigeria, a substantial quantity of these products in various forms and polymer types also comes into the country through importation. This results in a high consumption rate and, by extension, a huge volume of plastic waste generated daily exceeding the capacity and ability of the authorities to manage. In this work, we reviewed the available literature to analyze the status of the production, importation, consumption, and post-consumption management of plastic waste in Nigeria. It is estimated that out of 27.3 million tonnes of municipal solid waste currently generated in Nigeria’s urban cities per annum about 11.2 million tonnes is collected, of which about 1.1 million tonnes is plastics. It is further projected that by 2040, about 40.5 million tonnes of municipal solid waste will be generated, and only about 1.6 million tonnes of the plastic component will be collected for disposal. Based on the outcome of the analysis, the current study further suggested how adopting circular economy principles can help mitigate the impact of plastic waste on Nigerian society.

The discussion on environmental conservation cannot be separated from the discussion about plastic waste, which has contributed to environmental disaster. The Circular Economy (CE) concept is a new breakthrough in the discussion of environmental conservation that bridges the gap between the economy and the environment. Through the lens of CE, companies have the responsibility to handle plastic packaging waste. This study seeks to observe the strategies made by the beauty industry companies (L'Oréal and Unilever) in managing plastic packaging waste from CE perspectives and the collaboration between companies, the government, and the community as three important actors in encouraging the implementation of CE in Indonesia. This topic will be analyzed from CE perspectives through a literature review sourced from books, journal articles, company annual reports, company profiles, environmental NGO reports, online articles, and various other sources. This research found that the beauty industry companies (L'Oréal and Unilever) have various programs and strategies to implement CE through handling plastic packaging waste. However, the implementation of these programs has minimal adoption of CE principles. In addition, to implement CE in Indonesia, it is necessary to improve the interaction between the three actors. The Triple Helix model becomes a reference for the interaction model between the three actors which emphasizes circulation from one institution to another to encourage dialogue and better understanding.