- Rising plastic pollution threatens coastal communities reliant on fisheries and tourism, Tyndall tells Anadolu
ISTANBUL / PARIS
The environment director of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Jo Tyndall, highlighted Türkiye’s “Zero Waste” initiative and Zero Waste Day, led by first lady Emine Erdogan, as key efforts to raise awareness about the environmental impact of plastic waste.
“This initiative has been directly supported by Türkiye's first lady and having that high profile political support for it is also very helpful,” Tyndall told Anadolu, underlining the significance of Türkiye’s efforts and measures against plastic waste through the “Zero Waste” project.
She added the “Zero Waste Day,” and these efforts reflect Türkiye’s broader commitment to a circular economy.
Tyndall said the OECD conducts regular environmental performance reviews of member countries, with the latest for Türkiye completed in 2019. She added these reviews highlight best practices and provide recommendations to help governments improve policies and achieve their environmental goals.
“I think the emphasis on moving towards a circular economy and putting zero waste and zero waste initiatives at the heart of it is really a good example of good policy making in this area,” Tyndall added.
She said that for Türkiye, there are always elements that can be praised for environmental performance over the last three years and can be recognized as “good steps.”
Tyndall said that they enjoy a productive, cooperative and mutually supportive relationship with the Turkish delegation in Paris, adding: “We are very impressed by the level of engagement... in the work.”
She also noted the active involvement of Türkiye in the Environmental Policy Committee, its working parties, and other environmental initiatives based in Paris.
Annual plastic waste could reach 1B tons by 2060
Stating that 353 million tons of plastic waste were generated worldwide in 2019, Tyndall noted: “OECD countries together account for almost half of that plastic waste generation.”
She said the US leads OECD emissions with over 20%; European countries account for 19%; while outside the OECD, China closely follows at around 19%, India at 5%, and the rest of the world makes up the remainder.
Highlighting recycling’s role in preventing plastic pollution, Tyndall said only 9% of plastic waste was recycled in 2019 -- around 33 million tons out of 353 million tons generated -- and noted the rate has remained low for a long time, making progress difficult.
Pointing to the possibility that annual plastic waste could reach 1 billion tons by 2060, Tyndall said the negative impacts can come in different shapes and forms, noting that when plastic waste is burned, it “can contribute to both greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution that is harmful to human health and animal health.”
Tyndall also underlined the harm of microplastics to marine animals, citing turtles and seabirds caught in plastic or mistaking it for food.
She further stressed that while the oceans have helped absorb much of the warming caused by greenhouse gases, rising plastic pollution threatens this role and harms coastal communities reliant on fisheries and tourism.
Expressing hope that ongoing international negotiations on a global plastic treaty will effectively address these issues, Tyndall said the OECD report titled "Global Plastics Outlook" clearly shows that if stringent policies are “taken along the whole plastics life cycle and are applied globally, they can really help solve the problem.”
“So, if we did all of this… we could eliminate 96% of plastic liquid into the environment by 2040,” she said, noting that recycling rates could also increase and go from 9% to up to 59%.
Tyndall emphasized that scaling up recycling “is really a cornerstone of trying to make good progress on dealing with plastic,” adding that it supports the shift toward a circular economy, reduces environmental harm, and creates opportunities like green jobs.
However, she noted that increasing recycling rates is challenging due to technical, economic, and infrastructure-related issues, such as the complexity of plastic types, contamination during disposal, poor product design, underdeveloped waste collection systems, and weak markets for recycled plastics.
Measures to limit plastic production
Tyndall said the “Global Plastics Outlook” report recommends measures to limit plastic production and demand, citing that many countries have banned microplastics and single-use plastics, including those used in cosmetics.
“Standards or eco-design criteria can be applied; standards to make sure there is encouragement for reuse, repair, and durability,” Tyndall said, adding this could include requirements for a certain percentage of recycled content.
She further said the OECD has worked extensively on extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, which help fund the separate collection and recycling of plastics, while also encouraging producers to consider environmental impacts in product design.
