Should we burn or bury our plastic?

James - Hi Silke, thanks for the question. Burning plastic waste, especially in open fires, is not the best option for the environment and is probably in fact the worst method to dispose of such garbage. It releases toxic chemicals in the smoke, such as dioxins, furans, and other harmful pollutants, which can be seriously damaging to human health and the environment. Here to tell us more, and help you find a solution, is Richard Lampitt from the National Oceanography Centre…

Richard - Thanks James. Dioxins and furans, in particular, are highly toxic and can cause cancer, skin disorders, liver problems and damage to the endocrine and immune systems. It is actually the additives which are of most concern such as plasticisers, stabilizers and flame retardants that are released on burning.

In addition, since plastic is made from oil and gas (i.e. fossil fuels), for every tonne of dense plastic burned up to two tonnes of CO2 is released into the atmosphere.

The part of the world you’re writing from Silke is also replete with marine life, and the toxins from burnt plastic can negatively impact them too.

James - When we talk about plastic pollution, primarily, the answer is to reduce, reuse and recycle. But in your case, Silke, where much of the plastic you’ll be coming into contact with will be from elsewhere, this mantra which we all aspire to may not be so relevant. So, what can you do?

Richard - Secure disposal in proper landfill would have a slightly less harmful impactful on the environment, but refuse sites often catch fire so the effect on the environment is similar. In addition, the plastic ash residue persists wherever it is burned, and the toxins in this will leak into groundwater and then enter the food chain.

Incineration at temperatures above 850°C is considered the most effective method for destroying organic chemicals such as dioxins and furans, and a process called pyrolysis does exactly that. The plastic becomes a gas which is then burned as a clean fuel, free of pollutants, generating electricity. The major drawback, however, is that these are really expensive infrastructures to build and run.

One of the solutions envisaged is to shred these plastics directly on site, before transporting them to Tahiti, where there is a growing recycling facility. Tahiti has the most sophisticated recycling system in the Pacific but still exports quite a lot of garbage. According to a European Parliament report in 2024, French Polynesia produces almost 150 000 tonnes of waste, of which less than half is effectively treated. It states that there are several problems with the current waste management system on the islands with a heavy reliance on landfill (78 % of waste), and the export of recyclable waste is very expensive and has environmental repercussions.

James - It seems there are no easy answers to your question, Silke, but burning the plastic on open fires is not advisable. Collecting the rubbish you can and delivering it to waste management facilities sounds like your best bet, but it all goes to show that the fantastic properties of the plastics we use in our daily lives are also the main reason they pose a huge problem to our environment. Thanks to Richard Lampitt from the National Oceanography Centre for helping us with the answer.