UN lays out blueprint to reduce plastic waste by 80 per cent by 2040

A Nakuru-based environmental and plastic waste activist, James Wakibia, collects plastic waste in River Ndarugu in Nakuru Town West on May 10, 2023. [Suleiman Mbatiah, Standard]

Countries can reduce plastic pollution by 80% by 2040 using existing technologies and by making major policy changes, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said in a new report on Monday.

The Kenya-based U.N. body released its analysis of policy options to tackle the plastic waste crisis two weeks before countries convene in Paris for a second round of negotiations to craft a global treaty aimed at eliminating plastic waste.