This document discusses modelling approaches for projecting plastic use and the effectiveness of policies to address plastic pollution. It outlines sources of marine plastic and a strategic intervention framework with six approaches: 1) reduce plastic production, 2) innovative materials and product design, 3) reduce waste generation, 4) improve global waste management, 5) last chance capture, and 6) reduce input to achieve a zero goal. It also mentions using quantitative and qualitative mixed methods for modelling and the importance of data from tools like the Marine Debris Tracker app to inform models.

1. MODELLING APPROACHES FOR PLASTICS USE PROJECTIONS
The role of modelling and projections to assess the issue and the
effectiveness of policies
JENNA JAMBECK, PHD
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FELLOW
PROFESSOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

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5. 5

6. 6

7. Sources of Marine Plastic to the Environment
HIGH LEVEL PANEL FOR THE OCEAN BLUE PAPER: LEVERAGING MULTI-TARGET STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS PLASTIC
POLLUTION IN THE CONTEXT OF AN ALREADY STRESSED OCEAN (JAMBECK. MOSS, DUBEY, ET AL., 2020)

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10. Plastic in the Environment

11. Strategic Intervention Framework to Reduce Plastic Pollution
11Jambeck, US Senate Testimony, 2016
Industry led or
reduce demand
Green engineering,
circular economy
Reusable items,
sharing / collaborative
economy
Context-sensitive Solid
Waste management
infrastructure
Litter capture and
clean-up
REDUCE
PLASTIC
PRODUCTION
1
INNOVATIVE
MATERIALS &
PRODUCT DESIGN
2
REDUCE
WASTE
GENERATION
3
IMPROVE
GLOBAL WASTE
MANAGEMENT
4
LAST
CHANCE
CAPTURE
5
REDUCE
INPUT
(ZERO GOAL)
6

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Meet needs,
Reduce waste
Design for End-of-Life

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Plastic Pollution Emissions Working Group: Stephanie Borrelle, PhD; Chelsea Rochman, PhD and many more
https://www.plasticpeg.org/ Working Group funded by National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC)

14. Global Waste Management Infrastructure
Context & Culture
Collect
Capture
Contain

15. Circularity
Assessment
Protocol

17. Mixed Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative
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18. MARINE
DEBRIS TRACKER
Powered by Morgan Stanley
Citizen Science. With the Debris Tracker app,
anyone can categorize litter they see on the
ground and contribute data to free online
database showing litter around the world.
Over 2.5 million items logged!

19. 1. What is it? 2. How did it get here? 3. Together, what should we do about it?
Models depend on data input…

20. jjambeck@uga.edu