Abstract
Plastic pollution is among the many socio-economic and environmental dilemmas that have engulfed Pakistan. The exponentially increasing consumption of plastic and the difficulty of dealing with its waste has compelled the government to impose a ban on the use of non-biodegradable plastics. This ban has made Pakistan the 128th country to curb plastic usage through punitive measures. However, the country lacks cheap and sustainable alternatives for plastic bags and bottles, which form the most significant chunk of plastic waste. This research study aims to analyze and propose alternatives that can replace these plastic bags and bottles without compromising the lifestyle of citizens. The aim of this study is two-fold; first, it employs Fuzzy VIKOR, a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making technique for comparison and prioritization of alternatives, i.e., Conventional Plastic bags, Paper bags, and Bioplastic bags, with respect to multiple aspects of sustainability. Secondly, it performs a cost–benefit analysis of a Bioplastic plant, with a focus on the production of biodegradable plastic bottles. The MCDM analysis prioritized the bioplastic bags, followed by paper bags and the least preferable alternative turned out to be conventional plastic bags. The cost–benefit analysis indicated that although the production of bioplastic bottles instead of conventional plastic bottles would lead to the reduction of detrimental environmental impacts, however, currently it is not financially profitable for the industrialists to switch to bioplastics. Therefore, it is recommended that government authorities should incorporate carbon taxes and subsidize the sustainable development sector, which would, in turn, lead to the reduction of plastic consumption and waste in society.
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Abbreviations
- MCDM:
-
Multi-criteria decision making
- VIKOR:
-
Multi-criteria optimization and compromise solution
- LCA:
-
Life cycle assessment
- TOPSIS:
-
Technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution
- PET:
-
Polyethylene terephthalate
- PLA:
-
Polylactic acid
- GHG:
-
Greenhouse gas
- GWP:
-
Global warming potential
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Ali, Y., Sara, S. & Rehman, O.u. How to tackle plastic bags and bottles pollution crisis in Pakistan? A cost–benefit analysis approach. Environ Ecol Stat 28, 697–727 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10651-021-00511-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10651-021-00511-6