OECD warns that global plastic waste will exceed 1 billion tons in 2026

The OECD warned on June 3 that if nothing is done, the amount of plastic waste generated globally is expected to nearly triple by 2060, with about half ending up in landfills and less than a fifth.
one is recycled
.

The OECD's Global Plastics Outlook: Policy Scenarios to 2060 report predicts that global plastic consumption will rise from 460 million tonnes in 2019 to 1.
231 billion tonnes in 2060 in the absence of bold new policies , growing faster than most raw materials
.
Developing and emerging countries in Africa and Asia will see the fastest growth, but by 2060 OECD countries will still generate far more plastic waste per capita (238kg per year) than non-OECD countries (77kg)
.

At the same time, the global release of plastic into the environment is expected to double to 44 million tonnes per year, while the accumulation of plastic in lakes, rivers and oceans will triple
.

According to the report, global plastic waste volume will increase from 353 million tons in 2019 to 1.
014 billion tons in 2026
.
Short-term applications such as packaging, consumer goods and textiles will continue to dominate, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all plastic waste in 2060
.

The report predicts that in 2060, about half of global plastic waste will end up in open or exposed landfills, 20% will be incinerated and only 17% will be recycled
.
An estimated 15% of waste plastics will pose a threat to the natural environment in landfills and surrounding areas
.
While this figure is down from the current 22%, it is still high
.
 

Under the mandate of the negotiators of the international treaty, the OECD is evaluating two action plans to reduce plastic waste, with intensified measures to varying degrees, covering the entire life cycle of plastic production, use, recycling or disposal
.

The first, a regional action scenario, is based on more ambitious measures to enforce budgetary and regulatory policies in the most polluting richer OECD member countries that could reduce plastic waste generation by nearly a fifth, Reduce the amount of plastic released into the environment by more than half
.
Its impact on global GDP was small, only a 0.
3% reduction
.

The second scenario, a global action scenario, envisages a very stringent set of measures to reduce plastic waste by one-third, almost completely eliminate the release of plastic to the environment, and reduce global GDP by an estimated 0.
8%
.

But the OECD estimates that even in both cases, the use and waste of plastics will increase dramatically
.