The Plastic Waste Management Framework

In 2023, an estimated 70% of plastic waste remains uncollected, leaks into the environment, is dumped into landfills, or subjected to open burning. While countries work to improve and strengthen their waste management systems, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Diverse national circumstances, varying stages of progress in waste management, and unequal access to resources underline the need for countries to employ a range of strategies to improve their waste management efforts and move towards a circular economy. As part of our efforts to educate and inform key stakeholders about this issue, the Alliance to End Plastic Waste has worked together with Roland Berger on a report titled "The Plastic Waste Management Framework". This comprehensive report includes policies and levers that countries can consider adopting to reduce plastic waste leakage into the environment, improve recycling rates, and increase plastic circularity. The study includes policy deep-dives into key levers such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Deposit Return Systems (DRS), and the informal “waste picker” sector that can be used to develop national action plans tailored to each country’s circumstances and available resources. To improve their recycling rates and increase plastic circularity in a sustainable manner. The range of measures discussed, from regulatory policies to specific infrastructural and operational improvements, demonstrates the importance of a multi-faceted approach to combat the problem of plastic waste.