The Future Of

Plastic: circular economy, zero waste and the global plastic crisis

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Is plastic pollution a design flaw we can actually fix? 

In this episode, David Karsten and Celeste Fourie are joined by Dr Atiq Zaman, Associate Professor at Curtin University and UN advisor, to discuss why recycling alone won't solve the plastic crisis – and what a genuinely circular system could look like.

  • Why only 14% of Australia's plastic gets recycled [02:35]
  • The REDcycle collapse and the missing market for recycled plastic [04:00]
  • The reality of "green" alternatives like biodegradable plastic [05:44]
  • Zero-trace and non-pollutant plastic: a new framework [08:15]
  • What Australia can learn from informal recycling systems in the Global South [15:49]
  • Waste as a design flaw: what a circular plastic system looks like [26:15]
  • The emerging threat of atmospheric microplastics [31:42]
    • Learn more
    • Beyond Bioplastics: The Zero-Trace Plastic (ZTP) Material Framework
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      Dr Atiq Zaman

      Associate Professor at the Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute (CUSP)

      Dr Atiq Zaman was ranked first globally under ‘zero waste’ by the ScholarGPS database in 2025 and recognised as one of the world's ‘Top 2% Scientists’ by Stanford/Elsevier in 2024. He advises the UN Secretary-General's Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition, has contributed to COP27, COP28, and COP29, and is the Founding Co-Director of the Global South Nexus at Curtin University.

      His research focuses on developing zero-waste strategies and circular economy tools across sustainable development – from packaging and plastics to cities and the built environment.

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            • Transcript

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            Behind the scenes

            Host: David Karsten and Celeste Fourie

            Content creator: Caitlin Crowley

            Producer: Emilia Jolakoska

            Executive Producers: Anita Shore and Natasha Weeks

            First Nations Acknowledgement

            Curtin University acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the First Peoples of this place we call Australia, and the First Nations peoples connected with our global campuses. We are committed to working in partnership with Custodians and Owners to strengthen and embed First Nations’ voices and perspectives in our decision-making, now and into the future.

            Curtin University supports academic freedom of speech. The views expressed in The Future Of podcast may not reflect those of Curtin University.

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