In just two decades, the annual production of plastic waste worldwide has doubled from 180 million to more than 350 million tonnes, according to the OECD's Global Plastics Outlook report.
Much of this waste remains poorly managed: globally, nearly a quarter (22%) ends up in open landfills or ends up in the wild. Only 9% is recycled, while the rest (69%) is either incinerated or buried.
Awareness of the scale of plastic pollution has paved the way for stronger policy intervention: more than a hundred countries now completely or partially ban single-use plastic bags and many of them ban other disposable plastic objects (straws, cutlery, mixing sticks, etc.).
OUR "PLASTIC" FOLDER
Given that packaging accounts for almost 40% of the total weight of plastic waste generated globally, reducing and recycling plastic packaging appears to be a priority in the fight against plastic pollution.
This article is produced by Statista and hosted by 20 Minutes.
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