The global volume of plastic waste has doubled over the past 20 years, increasing from 156 million tons in 2000 to 353 million tons in 2019, and is projected to nearly triple to over 1 billion tons by 2060.
Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today, requiring strong cooperation and commitment from the global community. Despite calls from scientists and environmental activists, the situation has not improved and is even worsening.
Plastic bags drifting into Botnia Bay near Pietarsaari at the end of spring as the ice on the sea melts, May 3, 2023. (Photo: AFP/TTXVN).
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the global production of synthetic polymers, the material that makes up plastic, has increased 230 times since the 1950s.
Notably, between 2000 and 2019, the total production of synthetic polymers doubled to 460 million tons, primarily concentrated in the United States, the Middle East, and China.
The OECD warns that if unchecked, by 2060, this figure could nearly triple to 1.2 billion tons.
Alongside the surge in plastic production, the volume of plastic waste globally has also doubled in 20 years, rising from 156 million tons in 2000 to 353 million tons in 2019, with projections suggesting it will increase nearly threefold to over 1 billion tons by 2060.
Of particular concern is the management of this enormous volume of plastic waste. According to OECD, only 9% of plastic waste globally is recycled; 19% is incinerated in a controlled manner; and nearly 50% is sent to controlled landfills.
Approximately 22% of the remaining waste is left in illegal dumps, burned in the open air, or released into the environment, posing significant risks to human health. In 2019, around 22 million tons of plastic were released into the environment, with 6 million tons accumulating in rivers, lakes, and oceans.
By 2060, the OECD predicts that the volume of waste in the environment will double to 44 million tons, primarily consisting of large plastic items, while accurate statistics on the presence of “microplastic” particles in living organisms and humans are still lacking.
Divers collecting waste from the seabed at Naxos Island, Greece. (Photo: AFP/TTXVN).
Additionally, plastic also generates a significant carbon footprint, producing approximately 1.8 billion tons of greenhouse gases in 2019, equivalent to 3.4% of total global emissions.
About 90% of these emissions come from the production and processing of plastics, sourced from crude oil and natural gas.
This report comes amid the anticipation of the final negotiations of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) taking place in Busan, South Korea, in less than a month, aimed at reaching a global agreement to address plastic pollution.
Observers note that progress in negotiating the agreement has been slow and occasionally hindered. Currently, the biggest disagreement is among a group of countries, particularly oil-producing nations, that believe the treaty should focus on downstream measures, mainly waste management.
Meanwhile, more ambitious countries, including the European Union and several countries in Asia and Africa, want rules to limit the production of new plastics, address waste management and recycling, as well as emissions from the production of new plastics.
In a separate effort to tackle plastic pollution, on October 29, entrepreneurs and researchers from across the Indo-Pacific region participated in a workshop hosted by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Jakarta, Indonesia, to discuss solutions for transforming the production, use, and recycling of plastics.
The Indonesian startup Plustik will introduce its ongoing recycling method, converting low-value plastic waste harvested from landfills into commercial products, including pavement blocks and wooden flooring.
Two subsequent workshops in CSIRO’s event series are scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on November 1 and in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 7.
