Plastic Free World42

The European Union has introduced a new law banning the use of many products made from disposable plastic since this year and has also set specific targets for 2030 whereby at least 70% of packaging materials must be recyclable. Worldwide, 1 million plastic bottles are produced every minute. In the Netherlands alone, we produce 400,000 tonnes of plastic packaging a year. More than 3/4 of the plastic that goes to landfill is incinerated and a large proportion is never recycled and finds its way into nature. Plastic is made to last, but it is mainly used as a disposable product. Plastic still makes up the majority of waste in Europe. This project aims to map out the various initiatives in the Netherlands undertaken by individuals, organisations and industries to reduce and recycle the plastic we use. The goal is to get a better understanding of the effects of these different initiatives on the environment and whether they offer concrete solutions for a better use of the plastic materials. The initiatives cover different levels, from local to global.



This project was made possible through a grant from the Steunfonds Freelance fotografen of The Matching Fonds.