Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, H: Environment & Earth Science, Volume 23 Issue 1

the value from plastics in terms of material and embodied energy is lost. With more recycling, less dependence on the natural resources can be attained while meeting raw material demand. At the same time, lesser emissions and pressure on the fragile ecosystems can be achieved (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2013). For plastic to become a circular material, the current recycling rate has to be increased drastically. Plastic packaging from municipal waste is most recycled, whereas plastic recycling from the construction, electronics and automotive industries needs to be improved (Consultic, 2012). Additionally, to ensure re-use in products, emphasis on the production of high quality recycled plastics has to be laid upon. (Hahladakis and Iacovidou, 2018).There exists a wide array of commercial and innovative recycling technologies for plastic recycling. Typical examples are: • Clothes are made from synthetic materials. Microplastic fibres released in washing machine wastewater end up in wastewater streams. A plausible solution is to install a commercially available filter to trap these microfibers. • Plastic Whale is a social company located in Amsterdam which has an exemplary way of taking care of plastic wastes. It would pick up those floating plastics along the canals. After sorting, PET bottles are recycled and the new materials obtained are used to make canal boats. Individuals, groups and companies would then fish for plastics on the boats and the process is repeated to make more boats. Up to now, Plastic Whale has built seven boats from 35,000 bottles. This initiative plays a key role in creating awareness and stakeholders are fully engaged to counteract the marine litter problem. • In 2015, two enterprises, Adidas Group and Parley for the Oceans, have joined hands on a long-term project to come up with measures against plastic pollution of the oceans. They are investing in research and innovation and at the same time they want to create awareness through education and communication. Part of the collaboration consists of creating innovative products from materials produced from plastic waste that would serve as fabrics for Adidas products (Ten Brink et al., 2016). Initiatives such as these can lower unemployment rate and create new markets for recycled plastics. They should, however, be considered as one aspect to bring a solution to the bigger problem since priority should be to prevent the generation of marine litter. There is a general hierarchy available for plastic recycling, based upon the extent to which the polymer stays intact, which overlaps with the inner (material remains intact) and outer loops (material not intact) of the circular economy (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017) which is depicted as follows (Figure 2): Figure 2: A Hierarchy for Marine Litter Management From Figure 2, prevention of wastes should be highly encouraged. Most importantly, recycling relies on two features of segregation. The first is the concentration of different elements or materials within a product after mixing which can be determined through design for recyclability. The second is to sort out the wastes at the point of generation such that they are collected clean and uncontaminated by other waste streams. Holistic Approach to Tackle (Micro) Plastic Pollution: The Case of Mauritius © 2023 Global Journals 1 Year 2023 26 Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Volume XXIII Issue ersion I VI ( H )