Circularity in Plastic Waste Management: A Cross-country Comparison between Japan and Sri Lanka 

Abstract Sri Lanka, a South Asian country, with a developing economy, is grappling with surging plastic pollution. Japan, on the other hand, is a developed country with a systematic waste management system. Both countries have similarities in terms of being island nations. Japan’s existing plastic waste management (PWM) strategies are a pointer for Sri Lanka to improve the circularity along the plastic value chain. In this study, the aspects of quantitative data related to the plastic value chain, plastic recycling technologies, plastic recycling businesses, policies, and regulations related to plastic waste management, and public awareness strategies in plastic waste management are compared between the two countries Sri Lanka and Japan. The methodology included the literature review and survey conducted using questionnaires, especially to fill the information gap that is identified during the literature review. Japan is practicing all the stages of the plastic value chain, including virgin plastic production, whereas virgin plastic production is absent in Sri Lanka. Technological and policy advancements like the application of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in plastic waste management in Japan can be used as a means of achieving circularity in the Sri Lankan plastic waste management sector. The well-established informal plastic recycling industry in Sri Lanka is a significant feature compared to Japan’s formal plastic recycling industry. The school curriculum in Japan which includes ways of creating awareness on plastic waste management is a proactive action to combat plastic pollution, which is another idea for Sri Lanka to emulate its endeavor to reach circularity in plastic waste management.