Need to reduce burning of plastic in developing nations, say researchers

The team found that many people in developing countries were unable to afford clean fuels and the urban sprawl had made traditional fuels difficult to find, while plastic waste was in abundance

Australian researchers have called for action to reduce the burning of plastic for heating and cooking in developing nations, warning of health risks. 

In a new study, researchers from Curtin University in Western Australia found that millions of households in Africa, Asia, and Latin America have turned to burning plastics due to a lack of traditional energy sources, Xinhua agency reported.

The team found that many people in developing countries were unable to afford clean fuels such as gas and that the urban sprawl had made traditional fuels such as wood and charcoal difficult to find while plastic waste was in abundance.

Bishal Bharadwaj, lead researcher on the project from the Curtin Institute for Energy Transition (CIET), said that there are many health risks involved with burning plastic.

"Burning plastic releases harmful chemicals such as dioxins, furans, and heavy metals into the air, which can have a range of health and welfare impacts such as lung diseases," he said.

"These risks are particularly pronounced among women and children, as they spend more time at home."

He said that a survey found that 13 per cent of Nigerian households reported using garbage as cooking fuel and that analysis of soil and food from Indonesia revealed dangerous levels of toxins linked to burning plastic.

The authors of the study warned that it will become a "growing problem" with two-thirds of the global population forecast to live in urban areas by 2050 and plastic consumption expected to triple by 2060.

Peta Ashworth, director of the CIET, said that the issue is usually concentrated in neglected areas such as slums.

She said that an outright ban on burning plastics might not help and instead suggested subsidising cleaner fuels for poorer families, better waste management, and education campaigns as possible ways to address the problem.

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