Knowledge gathered over the past four years in the IUCN Close the Plastic Tap programme is the basis of this publication.

Plastics have been a development driver for decades but have turned into a development problem due to their omnipresence in the environment. Marine litter and plastic pollution have attracted much attention and commitments from governments and the private sector alike in the past few years.

The perennial presence of plastic waste in the Indus River and its tributaries is a recent addition to the already extensive list of threats to water quality, ecological health, and environmental sustainability in Pakistan.

The Department of Urban Development, Goa on 19th May 2022, has published the Model Goa Municipal Plastic Waste Management Byelaws, 2022 which shall apply to every waste generator, manufacturer, producer, importer and brand owner operating within the jurisdiction of the council in the State of Goa.

To encourage use of alternatives of plastics, government think-tank NITI Aayog has suggested strengthening waste minimisation through extended producer responsibility, proper labelling and collection of compostable and biodegradable plastics.

Plastic waste management and recycling activities have the potential to reduce the environmental impacts of plastic production and to tap the economic value of would-be waste materials through circular economy approaches.

Heads of State, Ministers of environment and other representatives from 175 nations endorsed a historic resolution at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) in Nairobi to end plastic pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement by 2024. The resolution addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, including its production, design and disposal.

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (the Lao PDR) economy has been growing fast in recent decades. Between 1990 and 2019 gross domestic product (GDP) increased by an average annual rate of 6.8 percent and the tourism industry has been a big contributor.