China News network August 3, according to Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" reported on the 3rd, the International Solid Waste Association pointed out that the global consumption of disposable plastics caused by the new coronavirus epidemic has increased. The latest research shows that if no action is taken, by 2040, the annual flow of plastic waste into the world's oceans will increase by more than 1.6 times. But if countries are willing to make system-wide changes, the amount of plastic entering the oceans could be reduced by more than 80 percent.

According to reports, the global demand for plastic products has increased due to the pandemic. Plastic waste, such as face masks and gloves, is washing up on remote Asian beaches, while record amounts of takeaway food and online shopping are piling up in landfills around the world.

A recent study by the Pew Research Center, SYSTEMIQ and scientists around the world found that if governments do not take action, the amount of plastic waste entering the oceans each year will rise from the current 11 million tons to 29 million tons. In 20 years, as much as 600 million tonnes of plastic waste could accumulate in the oceans -- the equivalent of three million blue whales.

Solutions proposed by the researchers to address the problem include reducing the growth in plastic production and consumption, replacing some plastics with alternatives such as paper and compostable materials, designing products and packaging that can be recycled, expanding waste collection rates in low - and middle-income countries, increasing recycling and reducing plastic waste exports.

The report said that the annual global plastic production has increased rapidly since 1950, when the global total of plastic was 1 million tons, in 2017 had reached 348 million tons. The study estimates that number will double by 2040.

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