In much of the world, the task of collecting, sorting and recycling plastics often falls to informal waste collectors, who work amidst fires and toxic fumes for a small fee. In a landmark move, the Nairobi agreement formally recognized for the first time the importance of waste collectors in the plastics economy.
“We waste collectors need to be involved in this process,” said Silvio Ruiz Grisales of Bogota, Colombia, who began working at landfills at the age of 12. He is now a leader in the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Waste Collectors, a group that advocates for better pay, working conditions and recognition.
“We work with garbage 12, 14 or 16 hours a day,” he said. “It’s a poverty trap.”
Among other requirements, Wednesday’s agreement stipulates that any global agreement must be legally binding and must cover the full life cycle of plastics, from production to disposal, recycling and reuse. Delegates said they hoped to model the Paris Climate Agreement, which sets binding targets, but were able to achieve those goals using a number of different policies.
The treaty should also look at packaging design to reduce the use of plastics, improve recycling and provide technical and financial assistance to developing countries. According to the agreement on Wednesday, it should also apply to microplastics, small plastic residues created by the decomposition of plastics over time. Microplastics have been discovered by scientists in deep ocean waters, mussels, drinking water and even rain.
During the talks, some of these points were opposed by countries, including the United States, Japan and India, according to three people close to the talks who were not authorized to speak publicly about the details of the talks.
Initially, Japan introduced a competitive resolution focused on marine plastics. India has threatened to thwart the talks on the last day, insisting that any action should be on a “voluntary basis”, according to a list of demands privately presented by the Indian delegation and reviewed by The New York Times.