Globally, an estimated 129 million metric tons of plastic waste was recycled, landfilled, incinerated, or converted to energy in 2016. The remaining 41 percent of plastic waste generated worldwide was mismanaged, and often leaked into oceans. By 2040, mismanaged plastic waste is projected to almost triple to 239 million metric tons.
Volume of plastic waste managed and mismanaged worldwide in 2016 with a forecast to 2040 under business-as-usual scenario
(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). Volume of plastic waste managed and mismanaged worldwide in 2016 with a forecast to 2040 under business-as-usual scenario (in million metric tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 04, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270110/plastic-waste-management-projections-worldwide/
Pew Charitable Trusts. "Volume of plastic waste managed and mismanaged worldwide in 2016 with a forecast to 2040 under business-as-usual scenario (in million metric tons)." Chart. October 23, 2020. Statista. Accessed December 04, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270110/plastic-waste-management-projections-worldwide/
Pew Charitable Trusts. (2020). Volume of plastic waste managed and mismanaged worldwide in 2016 with a forecast to 2040 under business-as-usual scenario (in million metric tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 04, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270110/plastic-waste-management-projections-worldwide/
Pew Charitable Trusts. "Volume of Plastic Waste Managed and Mismanaged Worldwide in 2016 with a Forecast to 2040 under Business-as-usual Scenario (in Million Metric Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Oct 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270110/plastic-waste-management-projections-worldwide/
Pew Charitable Trusts, Volume of plastic waste managed and mismanaged worldwide in 2016 with a forecast to 2040 under business-as-usual scenario (in million metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270110/plastic-waste-management-projections-worldwide/ (last visited December 04, 2024)
Volume of plastic waste managed and mismanaged worldwide in 2016 with a forecast to 2040 under business-as-usual scenario (in million metric tons) [Graph], Pew Charitable Trusts, October 23, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270110/plastic-waste-management-projections-worldwide/
