An estimated 54 million metric tons of global plastic waste was sent to landfills in 2016. Under current trajectories, this figure is expected to increase to 69 million metric tons by 2040. By 2040, plastic recycling will have overtaken landfilling, but will remain well below incineration. The plastic waste crisis is a growing concern worldwide, especially in coastal regions. In 2016, an estimated 11 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste entered oceans. This quantity is expected to triple by 2040 to almost 30 million metric tons. Open burning is another harmful way that plastic waste is commonly disposed of, especially in developing countries.
Plastic waste flow worldwide in 2016 with a forecast to 2040 under business-as-usual scenario, by treatment
(in million metric tons)
*Business-as-Usual assumes no intervention is made in relation to current plastic-related policy, economics, infrastructure, or materials, and that cultural norms and consumer behaviors do not change.
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Pew Charitable Trusts. (October 23, 2020). Plastic waste flow worldwide in 2016 with a forecast to 2040 under business-as-usual scenario, by treatment (in million metric tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 04, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270092/plastic-waste-treatment-and-disposal-projections-worldwide/
Pew Charitable Trusts. "Plastic waste flow worldwide in 2016 with a forecast to 2040 under business-as-usual scenario, by treatment (in million metric tons)." Chart. October 23, 2020. Statista. Accessed December 04, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270092/plastic-waste-treatment-and-disposal-projections-worldwide/
Pew Charitable Trusts. (2020). Plastic waste flow worldwide in 2016 with a forecast to 2040 under business-as-usual scenario, by treatment (in million metric tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 04, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270092/plastic-waste-treatment-and-disposal-projections-worldwide/
Pew Charitable Trusts. "Plastic Waste Flow Worldwide in 2016 with a Forecast to 2040 under Business-as-usual Scenario, by Treatment (in Million Metric Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Oct 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270092/plastic-waste-treatment-and-disposal-projections-worldwide/
Pew Charitable Trusts, Plastic waste flow worldwide in 2016 with a forecast to 2040 under business-as-usual scenario, by treatment (in million metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270092/plastic-waste-treatment-and-disposal-projections-worldwide/ (last visited December 04, 2024)
Plastic waste flow worldwide in 2016 with a forecast to 2040 under business-as-usual scenario, by treatment (in million metric tons) [Graph], Pew Charitable Trusts, October 23, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270092/plastic-waste-treatment-and-disposal-projections-worldwide/
