An estimated 82 million metric tons of plastic waste was mismanaged and littered worldwide in 2019. While a small amount of litter was cleaned up, the majority of this plastic waste ended up in the environment. An estimated 60 million metric tons of plastic waste were disposed of at dumpsites or burned at open-pits. Roughly seven percent of mismanaged plastic waste leaked into waterways such as rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Mismanaged and littered plastic waste worldwide in 2019, by end location
(in million metric tons)
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OECD. (June 3, 2022). Mismanaged and littered plastic waste worldwide in 2019, by end location (in million metric tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1357662/mismanaged-plastic-waste-flow-worldwide/
OECD. "Mismanaged and littered plastic waste worldwide in 2019, by end location (in million metric tons)." Chart. June 3, 2022. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1357662/mismanaged-plastic-waste-flow-worldwide/
OECD. (2022). Mismanaged and littered plastic waste worldwide in 2019, by end location (in million metric tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1357662/mismanaged-plastic-waste-flow-worldwide/
OECD. "Mismanaged and Littered Plastic Waste Worldwide in 2019, by End Location (in Million Metric Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 3 Jun 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1357662/mismanaged-plastic-waste-flow-worldwide/
OECD, Mismanaged and littered plastic waste worldwide in 2019, by end location (in million metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1357662/mismanaged-plastic-waste-flow-worldwide/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Mismanaged and littered plastic waste worldwide in 2019, by end location (in million metric tons) [Graph], OECD, June 3, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1357662/mismanaged-plastic-waste-flow-worldwide/
