Since 2020, the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), along with Indowatercop and ECOTON from Indonesia, along with 12 other countries including Argentina, Cameroon, India, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nepal, Nigeria, Serbia, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, and Togo, have initiated a global study on hazardous chemicals in recycled plastic pellets. The aim of this project is to raise global awareness about the dangerous chemicals present in recycled plastics used for consumer products. Each country visited local small-scale recycling facilities and purchased High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) recycled plastic pellets. This type of plastic was chosen because it is one of the most widely used and recycled types of plastic. Scientists from Sweden, Germany, and Denmark analyzed 28 pellet samples from 13 countries for a broader analysis of the chemical content of recycled plastic pellets.
Plastic is made up of about 16,000 chemicals, with at least 25% of them known to be toxic, and most other chemicals lack information on their effects on human health or the environment. Recycled plastic can also contain chemical contaminants from the way the original plastic was used. For example, if plastic pesticide containers are recycled, toxic pesticides can end up in the recycled material.
Recent data published from 13 countries including Indonesia identified nearly 500 chemicals in recycled plastic pellets, including pesticides, industrial chemicals, PCBs, and other toxic substances.
Two samples of recycled plastic pellets from recycling plants in Indonesia, specifically in East Java, revealed a total of 346 detected chemicals in the combined two samples. The first sample (IDN_01Y) detected 184 chemicals, the second sample (IDN_02N) detected 162 chemicals, and 138 of these chemicals were detected in both samples. The top 30 chemicals with the highest concentrations in each sample (attached) were mostly bioactive substances, including the pesticide chlorpyrifos (an organophosphate pesticide) and pharmaceuticals.
Toxic plastic compounds are bioaccumulative, meaning they can accumulate in living organism tissues over time, especially in the food chain. This means that higher organisms in the food chain, such as top predators, can accumulate higher concentrations of these compounds than those found in their food. Some compounds include PCBs, DDT, and several other organochlorine pesticides. They are also Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), meaning they can persist in the environment for long periods after being released. These compounds can spread widely through air, water, and soil, and can migrate to areas far from their source. Examples include PCBs, DDT, and several other organochlorine pesticides.
“Plastic toxic compounds have health impacts, with the ability to disrupt the endocrine system in living organisms, including humans and animals. These compounds can interfere with normal hormone functions in the body, including reproductive development disorders, hormonal disturbances, and increased risks of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other serious health conditions,” said Dr. Daru Setyorini, Executive Director of the ECOTON Foundation.
Amiruddin Muttaqin, M.Si, a member of IndoWatercop, explained that “Recycling plastic will not solve the plastic waste problem, but will instead exacerbate plastic pollution issues. There is already ample evidence showing that recycled plastics become vectors for the spread of toxic chemicals, and the plastic recycling process can produce new toxins, thus adding more chemicals to recycled plastics.”
Currently, there are no international requirements to monitor chemicals in recycled plastic or make information on the chemical content of plastic materials and products available and accessible to the public. This means that the spread of chemicals from recycled plastics cannot currently be tracked and controlled. International control is needed due to the widespread international trade in chemicals, plastics, and plastic waste.
Given that plastic toxic compound pollution is a very serious issue as it already affects human and environmental health, this issue needs to be addressed in a global plastic agreement to control plastic production and consumption processes. One of the actions taken this month is at INC-4 held in Ottawa, Canada. The Indonesian government also participated in this INC to discuss global plastic agreement regulations.
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) itself is a committee consisting of government representatives from various countries under the UN aimed at negotiating and reaching agreements on specific issues. This INC is a result of United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) Resolution 5/14 in March 2022 entitled “End Plastic Pollution: Towards An International Legally Binding Instrument.” UNEA Resolution 5/14 mandates the establishment of INC to initiate the drafting and discussion of an international plastic agreement from mid-2022 to late 2024.
It is hoped that INC-4 will produce efforts to control plastic waste issues, including:
- Prioritizing the reduction of single-use plastic production
- Ending the import of plastic waste to Southeast Asia and colonialism of waste
- Reducing toxic additive substances and controlling the emergence of microplastics
- Labeling hazardous materials used in plastic production processes
- Prioritizing reuse and refill
- Rejecting incineration or fake recycling technologies
- Preventing the substitution of plastics with biodegradable materials as it will accelerate the emergence of microplastics
- Implementing broader Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the “polluter pays” principle
- Upholding human rights by providing social justice for all those affected by plastic pollution
- Urgently rehabilitating ecosystems of rivers, seas, air, and land contaminated with plastic and restoring the health of humans contaminated with microplastics and plastic additive substances.
Contact Person
Rafika Aprilianti_ECOTON (082144541774)
Ecoton (Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation) is a foundation focused on the conservation of river ecosystems and wetlands in Indonesia. We conduct scientific research, environmental education, and awareness campaigns to improve water quality and protect biodiversity.
