The world is producing twice as much plastic waste as two decades ago, with the bulk of it ending up in landfills, incinerated, or leaking into the environment, and only 9 percent successfully recycled, according to a new report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Ahead of United Nations (UN) talks on international action to reduce plastic waste, the OECD’s first Global Plastics Outlook report shows that as rising populations and incomes drive a relentless increase in the amount of plastic being used and thrown away, policies to curb its leakage into the environment are falling short.
Almost half of all plastic waste is generated in OECD countries, according to the Outlook report. Plastic waste generated annually per person varies from 221 kg in the United States and 114 kg in European OECD countries to 69 kg, on average, for Japan and Korea.
Inadequate collection and disposal
Most plastic pollution comes from inadequate collection and disposal of larger plastic debris known as macroplastics, but the leakage of microplastics (synthetic polymers smaller than 5 mm in diameter) from things like industrial plastic pellets, synthetic textiles, road markings, and tyre wear is also a serious concern.
OECD countries are behind 14 percent of overall plastic leakage. Within that, OECD countries account for 11 percent of macroplastics leakage and 35 percent of microplastics leakage.
The Outlook notes that international cooperation on reducing plastic pollution should include supporting lower-income countries in developing better waste management infrastructure to reduce their plastic leakage.
The report finds that while the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to a 2.2 percent decrease in plastic use in 2020 as economic activity slowed, a rise in littering, food takeaway packaging, and plastic medical equipment such as masks has driven up littering.
As economic activity resumed in 2021, plastics consumption has also rebounded.
International cooperation needed
Reducing pollution from plastics will require action, and international cooperation, to reduce plastic production, including through innovation, better product design, and developing environmentally friendly alternatives, as well as efforts to improve waste management and increase recycling.
Bans and taxes on single-use plastics exist in more than 120 countries but are not doing enough to reduce overall pollution. Most regulations are limited to items like plastic bags, which make up a tiny share of plastic waste, and are more effective at reducing littering than curbing plastics consumption.
Landfill and incineration taxes that incentivize recycling only exist in a minority of countries. The Outlook calls for greater use of instruments such as Extended Producer Responsibility schemes for packaging and durables, landfill taxes, deposit-refund, and Pay-as-You-Throw systems.
More needs to be done to create a separate and well-functioning market for recycled plastics, which are still viewed as substitutes for virgin plastic. Setting recycled content targets and investing in improved recycling technologies could help to make secondary markets more competitive and profitable.
Key findings from the Outlook include:
- Plastic consumption has quadrupled over the past 30 years, driven by growth in emerging markets. Global plastics production doubled from 2000 to 2019 to reach 460 million tonnes. Plastics account for 3.4 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
- Global plastic waste generation more than doubled from 2000 to 2019 to 353 million tonnes. Nearly two-thirds of plastic waste comes from plastics with lifetimes of under five years, with 40 percent coming from packaging, 12 percent from consumer goods, and 11 percent from clothing and textiles.
- Only 9 percent of plastic waste is recycled (15 percent is collected for recycling but 40 percent of that is disposed of as residues). Another 19 percent is incinerated, 50 percent ends up in landfills, and 22 percent evades waste management systems and goes into uncontrolled dumpsites, is burned in open pits, or ends up in terrestrial or aquatic environments, especially in poorer countries.
- In 2019, 6.1 million tonnes of plastic waste leaked into aquatic environments, and 1.7 million tonnes flowed into oceans. There is now an estimated 30 million tonnes of plastic waste in seas and oceans, and a further 109 million tonnes has accumulated in rivers. The build-up of plastics in rivers implies that leakage into the ocean will continue for decades to come, even if mismanaged plastic waste could be significantly reduced.
- Considering global value chains and trade in plastics, aligning design approaches and the regulation of chemicals will be key to improving the circularity of plastics. An international approach to waste management should lead to all available sources of financing, including development aid, being mobilized to help low and middle-income countries meet estimated costs of EUR 25 billion a year to improve waste management infrastructure.
