‘Communities hold the key’ to tackling plastic pollution, say researchers

The paper advocates for a radical shift in how science engages with diverse communities to address the escalating plastic pollution crisis. The authors argue that communities should be seen as “equal partners” in co-creating research, knowledge and actions needed to drive change, rather than “passive recipients” of scientific knowledge.

The research urges a move away from “top-down” approaches that treat communities as “empty vessels” to be filled with facts or told what to do. Instead, it advocates for long-term, reciprocal engagement that centres lived experience, local expertise and social justice.

“Communities are not ‘out there’ waiting to be engaged,” Dr Alice Horton from the National Oceanography Centre, said: “They are dynamic, diverse, and already playing critical roles in shaping how we understand and respond to ocean plastics.”

The research shows that by 2040, up to 29 million tonnes of plastic could enter the seas each year, according to estimates.

Using international case studies, the research identifies four key types of community – geographical, practical, virtual, and circumstantial – and proposes new “rules of engagement” for how scientists can work with them.

From puppet shows and participatory art to citizen science and indigenous knowledge, the study highlights the diverse ways communities are already engaging with plastic pollution on their own terms – often more effectively than institutional methods.

‘Insight and agency’

Dr Cressida Bowyer, deputy director of the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth and co-author of the paper, said: “Community members bring valuable insight and agency to this issue. We’ve seen examples from Kenya to the Philippines where local actions, often overlooked by formal science, are leading the way.”

“In many contexts, especially in under-resourced areas, lack of formal education does not mean lack of knowledge,” Professor Lesley Henderson, University of Strathclyde, said: “Scientists must be careful not to conflate the two.”

The release of the paper comes just months before the continuation of international negotiations on a global plastics treaty in Geneva, where 175 countries are expected to debate how to regulate the full life cycle of plastics – from production to disposal.