Involvement of the informal plastic recycler in reducing carbon emission: A review

The amount of plastic use is arduous to control, especially in developing countries. Plastic is usually utilized as bags, bottles, and tableware, and almost all household utensils are made of plastic. Unconsciously, the use of plastic produces waste called plastic waste. Plastic waste is effortful to manage, so it can pollute water, interrupt living things, and increase carbon emissions from open burning activities. Involvement in sorting plastic waste is a crucial factor in efforts to manage plastic waste. If the sorting of plastic waste can be improved in quantity and quality, the potential for environmental pollution can be reduced and ultimately reduce carbon emissions. Segregation of plastic waste is formally carried out by government agencies related to the environment. In addition, the informal sector can sort plastic waste, such as scavengers, waste pickers, and informal recyclers. In this article, we will look at the potential involvement of the informal plastic waste recycler sector in reducing carbon emissions and look for obstacles faced by the informal plastic waste recycler sector in helping to reduce carbon emissions. Based on the results, it is known that informal plastic waste recycler activities have the potential to reduce carbon emissions, especially in collecting and sorting activities. If informal activities are optimized, they can save 32.9 million tons of CO2eq emissions from new plastic production activities. At least three strategies to reduce carbon emissions involving the informal recycler sector are establishing a circular economy through plastic chains, regulation and legislation, and horizontal and vertical integration among stakeholders.