How the world fell in love with plastic without thinking through the consequences

Every year, 400 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide, and every year, approximately 57 million tons of plastic waste is created. And yet in November, the latest round of negotiations to agree the first legally binding international treaty on plastics pollution collapsed.

So what can we really do about the plastics pollution problem? In this episode we sat down with Mark Miodowonik, professor of materials and society at UCL in the UK, to understand the history of plastic, how it’s shaped our lives, and what can be done to make sure more plastic is recycled and less ends up polluting the planet. 

This episode was written and produced by Katie Flood and Gemma Ware with sound design by Michelle Macklem. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. Full credits for this episode are available. Sign up here for a free daily newsletter from The Conversation.

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Further reading:

• Can you trust companies that say their plastic products are recyclable? US regulators may crack down on deceptive claims
• The plastic recycling system is broken – here’s how we can fix it
• If plastic manufacturing goes up 10%, plastic pollution goes up 10% – and we’re set for a huge surge in production
• Time is running out for a treaty to end plastic pollution – here’s why it matters