Antonina Levashenko: «Microplastic accumulation in the environment reached critical values»

Antonina Levashenko, Head of International Best Practice Analysis Department at the Gaidar Institute, in a commentary for Rossiyskaya Gazeta emphasized the severity of the environmental threat posed by microplastic pollution.

According to digital-agency Interium, over previous six months, Russians started to discuss the problem of this kind of pollution twice more actively.

According to Antonina Levashenko, microplastics constitutes 12% of all plastic waste and results from a variety of sources, i.e. tire and brake wear, textile washing, household waste, unused clothing thrown straight into rivers and oceans, cosmetics and cleaning products.

«At present, there are already 109 mn tons of plastic stockpiled in rivers and 30 mn tons in oceans. The carbon footprint of plastic is also significant: it accounts for 3.4% of global life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions. Only a small number of countries (just over 10) have mechanisms that provide direct financial incentives for sorting plastic waste at the source. Just over 20 countries implement effective instruments to encourage recycling, such as national taxes on landfilling and incineration. However, in more than 120 countries there are bans or taxes on disposable plastic products, but most often they concern bags and similar small items," the expert noted.

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Tuesday, 22.04.2025