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What decades of plastics waste management have taught us

Waste management has transformed over the past half a century, from key dumping and landfilling laws in the 1970s to today’s complex policies targeting plastic waste reduction and recycling. Still, global disparities are glaring, and stronger policies, infrastructure and technology are necessary to achieve a truly circular plastics economy.

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Correspondence to Haritz Sardón.

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Jehanno, C., Ximenis, M., Breloy, L. et al. What decades of plastics waste management have taught us. Nat Rev Mater 10, 715–716 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-025-00820-3

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