LOVE it or hate it, plastic is everywhere; it doesn’t die, decay or disappear. It was the first to touch you when two latex-gloved hands lifted you from your mother’s womb. Today, micro- and nanoplastics are found in our blood, brains and even in the placenta. From the deepest recesses of the planet (the Mariana Trench) to its highest point (Mount Everest), plastics are found everywhere — in the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe.

More than 460 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year, a figure that is projected to increase to 1,200 Mt by 2060, with less than 10 per cent of it recycled. An estimated 20 Mt ends up in landfills or water bodies, eventually reaching the oceans. With over 98pc of plastics made from fossil fuels, it can be described as the world’s largest oil spill.

With single-use plastic (SUP) products like bags, bottles, straws and fast-food containers lasting for over 450 years, and accounting for up to 40pc of all production, momentum is building to tackle the waste crisis. Global brainstorming from Aug 5-14 is taking place in Geneva to draft a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. The talks, which aim to address the full life cycle of plastic — from its creation to its disposal — began in 2022.

A major showdown is expected between the more than 100 countries that want a binding treaty, with global caps on plastic production, SUPs and certain chemicals, and “like-minded countries” including Saudi Arabia, Russia, China and Iran, which have large fossil fuel industries and are pushing for a voluntary deal focused only on waste management, especially recycling.

Society must reduce its use of plastic.

In between the warnings against capitulation and scepticism that negotiators may have to settle for a watered-down agreement, there is another group of independent scientists and health experts trying to draw attention to the “under-recognised” danger posed by plastics on human and planetary health. Writing in The Lancet, in a review published a day before the negotiations began, they say that linking plastics to human health, instead of the environmental argument alone, may trigger stronger public and government engagement, leading to action, as happened with past global threats, including air pollution and ozone depletion.

People must know how plastic affects endocrine functions and contributes to respiratory problems, birth defects, cardiovascular disease and perhaps even cancer. The Lancet calculates health-related costs to be over $1.5 trillion annually, hitting low-income and high-risk populations the hardest.

Regardless of the outcome of the talks, Pakistan must stop seeing itself as a minor polluter to deflect responsibility. The clogged nullahs and overflowing garbage dumps tell a different story. To move forward, Pakistan needs credible city-wise data on all kinds of waste generated — domestic, municipal, industrial and hazardous — with consensus reached on the data among the government, the private sector and academia, regarding better future planning. Variously quoted current figures (between 2 Mt and 3.9 Mt of plastic waste annually) are widely disputed and dismissed by circular economy experts as well as researchers who say they are exaggerated.

What is also needed is a national registry of plastic producers, importers and recyclers and mandatory reporting of plastic usage and the volumes of waste generated. While extended producer responsibility, a key to global trade rules, has not been applied in Pakistan, it will be soon, and plastic businesses should prepare to be registered. It will also mean adopting green pr­­-a­­ctices, complying with safety standards and tra­­-cking waste to earn eco-certification.

Even recyclers, who say that only 3pc of Pak­istan’s plastic is recyc­l­­ed when the potential is up to 18pc, should stre­amline. The government must step in as facilitator, offer tax incentives and tech-nical and infrastructure support by setting up industrial plastic parks for safer and centralised recycling and closer monitoring.

However, policy by itself isn’t enough; society must cooperate by reducing its use of plastic and understand the health risks. That means avoiding SUPs for food, ditching non-stick cookware, black plastic utensils and even parchment paper and cupcake liners that may contain toxic “forever chemicals”. But individual action can only go so far without strict enforcement.

Pakistan has instituted plastic bans in the past, which failed. Neither have the more recent patchy bans in Sindh, Islamabad and Punjab stopped the use of SUPs. The country must learn from global best practices through stronger regulation, public education and the scientific management of waste. Most importantly, it must ensure dignity for those who keep our cities clean. It is time for a policy and mindset change.

The writer is a Karachi-based independent journalist.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2025