Global Plastic Waste to Witness Three-Fold Surge by 2060

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): According to a new report published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the global plastic waste is on track to triple by 2060. Surprisingly, around 50% of the waste is set to end in landfills, with only around 20% expected to be recycled. The annual production of fossil-fuel-based plastics is projected to surpass 1.2 billion tonnes by 2060. Also, plastic waste is feared to exceed 1 billion tonne, the report said.

The growth in plastic production will witness notable acceleration in developing and emerging countries in Asia and Africa. Also, the 38 OECD member countries are likely to produce 238 kilograms of plastic per person per year in 2060, as compared with 77 kilograms by non-OECD countries.

The report highlights the aggressive policy actions across the world to cut demand and boost efficiencies, which in turn is expected to improve the share of recycled plastic waste from 12% to 40%.

Since the 1950s, around 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced. Over 60% of those plastics have ended up in landfills or were being burned or dumped into rivers and oceans. The plastics usage doubled over the past two decades to total over 460 million tonnes in 2019.