Inside Story

What should be done to tackle the world’s plastic waste?

Every year, about two billion tonnes of plastic waste is produced, according to the World Bank.

It’s become a problem of global proportions. According to the World Bank, about two billion tonnes of waste are produced every year, and world leaders are struggling to figure out what to do with it all.

Should it be buried, recycled or shipped off to another country?

It’s an issue they are grappling with right now in East Delhi, India. They are fighting to contain a 65-metre high mountain of rubbish that gets larger every year.

Similar scenarios are repeated globally.

One of the problems is that recycling is now an estimated $200bn industry, a huge incentive to limit what’s done to change direction in the waste business.

So what are the answers?

Presenter:

Nastasya Tay

Guests:

Arunabha Ghosh – CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water

Sharon George – Lecturer at Keele University, specialises in green technology

Qi Ye – Director of the Institute of Public Policy, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology