Norway’s role in combating plastic pollution: Challenges and opportunities

By George George Idowu

Plastic pollution is a pressing global issue, with Norway’s extensive coastline bearing witness to its severity. Plastic debris from across the world continuously washes ashore, highlighting a systemic environmental crisis that demands urgent attention and action.

Despite the well-documented consequences of plastic pollution and repeated calls for intervention, global plastic production and consumption continue to rise.

Hence, this underscores the critical need for international cooperation to stem the tide of plastic waste. While Norway champions global efforts to combat plastic pollution, it also grapples with its own contributions to the problem.

A comprehensive study conducted with the Norwegian Air Research Institute (NILU) mapped Norway’s plastic cycle in detail, revealing significant insights into the country’s plastic usage and waste management.

According to the study published in Environmental Science & Technology, Norway releases approximately 15,000 metric tons of plastic into the environment annually.

This figure, though seemingly small at 2.4% of the total waste, translates to a substantial 2.8 kg per capita, equating to around 1.5 billion plastic bottles entering the environment each year.

In the same research, Norwegians use 21% more plastics compared to the European average and generate twice as much plastic pollution as the Swiss.

This high rate of plastic consumption highlights the need for Norway to implement robust domestic policies alongside its international advocacy.

As a result of that, Norway has been a vocal proponent of a global agreement to halt the flow of plastics into the environment. This they have achieved by co-chairing the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution with Rwanda, Norway is setting high standards for international efforts.

However, significant challenges remain at home, primarily from consumer packaging and tire wear rubber.

The study identifies consumer packaging as the primary source of macroplastics that is, items larger than 5mm that litter Norwegian coastlines.

These include common items like bottles and bags, which despite efforts to reduce littering and dumping, continue to accumulate due to high consumption rates. To mitigate this, a concerted effort to decrease plastic consumption in these categories is essential.

Similarly, Tire wear particles, a major source of microplastics, pose another significant challenge. Norway releases about 6 metric kilotons of tire wear rubber annually, a problem exacerbated by the increasing weight of electric and hybrid vehicles, which produce more tire wear than conventional cars.

Addressing this issue requires rethinking transportation policies, promoting shared mobility options, and designing lighter vehicles with alternative materials.

As a coastal nation, Norway is particularly vulnerable to marine plastic pollution. A significant portion of plastic waste ends up in the marine environment, where it causes irreversible damage to ecosystems.

Marine animals often ingest or become entangled in plastic debris, which can also carry invasive species and interfere with the marine carbon cycle, exacerbating climate change.

The study also highlights the environmental and health risks posed by toxic additives in plastic products. Additives such as phthalate esters and organophosphate esters, introduced during production, are released into the environment along with plastic waste.

These substances have been detected in high levels in Norwegian wildlife, such as the livers of herring gulls.

Furthermore, recycling processes can reintroduce these hazardous additives back into the economy, posing additional risks.

The findings from this research underscore the urgent need to reduce plastic production and consumption, address hazardous additives, and implement effective policies to mitigate the environmental impacts of the plastic economy.

Norway’s leadership in advocating for a global agreement is commendable, but equally important is the need for domestic actions to curtail plastic pollution and protect both the environment and public health. By addressing these challenges head-on, Norway can indeed become a role model in the fight against plastic pollution.