Proposalsto prevent plastic waste from being dumped in seas are on the table of a UNenvironmental conference that started on Monday in Geneva. Upto 90 per cent of the estimated 100 million tons of plastic that are pollutingthe seas come from land-based sources, according to the UN secretariat thatmanages several UN treaties on hazardous waste and chemicals. Inthe two-week meeting, government representatives will decide whether to adoptamendments to better regulate plastic waste trade, to make sure the materialsend up in recycling rather than as litter. Inaddition, governments are mulling proposals that would oblige them to produceas little waste as possible, and to manage used plastic in an environmentallysound manner. Germanyis aiming at an international ban on the export of unsorted and hard-to-recycleplastic waste, Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said ahead of the talks inGeneva. Chinasharply restricted the import of plastic waste at the beginning of 2018, withthe result that much now goes to South-East Asia and India.