Plastic is everywhere—useful, cheap, and stubbornly persistent once discarded. Countries aren’t tackling the problem in the same way, and those differences matter: they determine who pays, what gets redesigned, and how much actually gets reduced or recycled. Here’s a clear, comparative look at the world’s major plastic waste policy approaches, what’s working, and where gaps remain.

The European Union: Targets With Teeth

The EU’s Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive blends bans, design rules, and hard targets. Member states must separately collect 77% of plastic bottles by 2025, rising to 90% by 2029; PET bottles must contain at least 25% recycled content by 2025 and all plastic beverage bottles 30% by 2030. Caps must be tethered to containers to cut litter. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) makes companies cover litter clean-up and awareness costs for items like wet wipes and tobacco filters. (Environment)

India: A Rapid Turn to EPR + Selective Bans

India’s Plastic Waste Management Rules (2016) established the EPR principle; subsequent amendments (2021–2022) gave it legal force and set up a centralized compliance portal. India also banned a list of low-utility single-use plastic items (e.g., cutlery, stirrers) and progressively increased carry-bag thickness to improve recyclability and reuse. In practice, brand owners, importers, and producers must register and meet annual collection/recycling obligations through the EPR portal. (Press Information Bureau)

United States (California Leads): Producer Responsibility, With Timelines

The U.S. lacks a single national plastics law, so states are the action centers. California’s SB 54 (2022) is the most consequential: it requires producers to ensure all packaging and plastic food-service ware sold in the state is recyclable or compostable, achieve a 30% recycling rate by 2028 and 65% by 2032, and reduce single-use plastic packaging and food-service products by 25% by 2032. It also shifts system costs from municipalities to producers via an EPR program and creates a mitigation fund. Other states are following with EPR laws, but California’s scale often sets de facto national standards. (CalRecycle Home Page)

China: Timetables and Bans Across Sectors

China pairs its 2018 import ban on foreign waste with a staged domestic phase-down of single-use plastics. Non-degradable plastic straws were banned nationwide in 2020; restrictions on plastic bags and disposable tableware rolled out in cities first, then county-level areas by the end of 2022, with deeper cuts slated through 2025. Agricultural “white pollution” from thin mulch films is also targeted. These measures are notable for their sector-specific roadmaps and national scope. (loc.gov)

Africa (Kenya): Strong Bans, Uneven Implementation

Kenya’s 2017 carrier-bag ban is among the world’s toughest, backed by fines and jail terms; enforcement updates noted hundreds of arrests and prosecutions in the first two years. Emerging research suggests growing public support and shifts toward reusables, though rural-urban awareness and enforcement differ—an equity lesson for future rollouts. (nema.go.ke)

Chile and Latin America: EPR Frameworks Are Maturing

Chile’s Law 20.920 (Ley REP) created a national EPR framework covering priority products, including packaging, with progressively rising recovery targets and integration of informal recyclers. This approach emphasizes “polluter pays” and inclusive recycling—features increasingly echoed in the region. (IEA)

United Kingdom: Using Tax to Nudge Design

The UK’s Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) charges producers/importers if packaging contains under 30% recycled content. The rate began at £200/tonne (2022), rose to £217.85 (April 2024), and to £223.69 (April 2025). The PPT works alongside broader UK packaging EPR reforms, shifting costs onto producers and nudging higher recycled content in design. (GOV.UK)

Global Treaty: Stalled—but Not Over

Since 2022, UN member states have pursued a legally binding plastics treaty. Negotiations split over whether to cap virgin plastic production and how to control hazardous additives. After sessions in Busan (late 2024) and Geneva (August 2025), talks adjourned without consensus, with plans to resume but no final text yet—leaving countries to press ahead domestically. (UNEP – UN Environment Programme)

What Works—and What Doesn’t

EPR + Design Rules Drive Systemic Change. When producers finance end-of-life and face clear recyclability/recycled-content rules (EU, CA, UK), packaging redesign accelerates. Narrow Bans Help, But Need Alternatives. Bans on straws, flimsy bags, or certain disposables reduce litter quickly; without reuse/refill infrastructure, though, they can trigger material switching or black markets. Enforcement and Equity Matter. Kenya’s experience shows strong laws need consistent enforcement and public outreach, especially outside major cities. Data and Infrastructure Are the Backbone. Targets are only as credible as the sorting, collection, and reprocessing capacity behind them; countries pairing targets with investment and standardized labeling see more durable results.

Where Policy Is Heading

Expect more recycled-content mandates, eco-modulated EPR fees (higher charges for hard-to-recycle formats), and deposit return systems to meet high bottle-collection targets. Momentum for production caps will keep surfacing in treaty talks; even without a treaty, several blocs will likely act domestically to curb virgin plastic growth.

In short, the most effective playbooks combine upstream (design, reduction) and downstream (collection, recycling) measures, make producers pay their fair share, and build real reuse options so “single-use” stops being the default.

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