Karen Raubenheimer, Alistair McIlgorm,

Can the Basel and Stockholm Conventions provide a global framework to reduce the impact of marine plastic litter?

Marine Policy, 2018, ISSN 0308-597X,

Abstract:

The issues resulting from plastic waste in the marine
environment have highlighted a general failure to control this pollutant
on both land and at sea. The international community is now realising
that the increasing growth in the amount of plastic pollution in the
ocean is reaching a critical point. This has led to a questioning of the
current international governance arrangements for marine litter. The
environmental and socio-economic impacts of marine litter are a symptom
of policy failures and greater action is required “upstream” by industry
on land to reduce these impacts. The Stockholm and Basel Conventions are
international binding instruments that offer the best opportunity to
reduce the impacts of plastics and plastic waste globally. We examine
weaknesses in how hazardous wastes are categorised and the options to
close the gaps in the current framework that allow for and keep pace
with innovation. Both conventions are found to be inadequate to manage
the entire lifecycle of all plastic applications. Options are suggested
for strengthening the international legal and policy framework in order
to reduce on a global scale 1) the quantity of plastic waste generated,
and 2) the hazard of plastics throughout their lifecycle.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iM299sslrADl71ufVeHlKRbYXdIKjLbV

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.01.013.(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X17305146)