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The world generated an estimated 400 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2024. This torrent of water and shampoo bottles, dispensing containers, polyester shirts, PVC piping and other plastic products weighed as much as 40,000 Eiffel Towers.
It is part and parcel of a plastic pollution crisis that experts say is ravaging ecosystems, exposing people to potentially harmful pollutants and stoking climate change.
“Plastic pollution is one of the gravest environmental threats facing the Earth but it’s a problem we can solve,” said Elisa Tonda, Chief of the Resources and Markets Branch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “Doing so could not only improve the well-being of people and planet but also unlock a host of economic opportunities.”
Countries worldwide are now negotiating an international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution. Against that backdrop, this year’s World Environment Day will focus on ways to prevent plastic waste from escaping into the environment, such as curbing pollution from single-use plastic products and redesigning plastic products so they last longer.
Ahead of World Environment Day, here’s a closer look at what plastic pollution is, why it’s such a problem and what can be done about it.
1. How much plastics is out there?
A lot. Today, plastics are an important part of the modern world, used in everything from car parts to medical devices. Since the 1950s, researchers estimate humanity has produced 9.2 billion tonnes of material, some 7 billion tonnes of which have become waste.
2. What kinds of plastics are the most problematic?
A major source of plastic pollution are single-use plastic products, which are not circulated in the economy, overwhelming waste systems and entering the environment. Some of the most common single-use plastic products are water bottles, dispensing containers, takeaway bags, disposable cutlery, freezer bags and packaging foam.
3. Where do you find plastic pollution?
The short answer: nearly everywhere. It’s in lakes, rivers and the ocean. It dots city streets and farmers’ fields. It’s bursting from dumpsites. It’s piling up in deserts and worming its way into sea ice. Researchers have even found plastic debris on Mount Everest and in the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on Earth.
4. Why is plastic pollution such a problem?
There are three big reasons.
First, plastic pollution can wreak havoc on ecosystems. One study found that small plastic particles can slow the growth of a microscopic marine algae known as phytoplankton, which is the base of several aquatic food webs. As well, fish often mistakenly eat plastic products, filling their stomachs with indigestible shards that cause them to starve to death.
Second, plastic often breaks down into tiny fragments – known as microplastics and nanoplastics – which can build up in the human body. Microplastics have been found in livers, testicles – even breast milk. One study found that on average, a litre of bottled water contains in the range of 240,000 microplastics.
Third, plastic throughout its life cycle also contributes to climate change. Plastic production – an energy-hungry process – was responsible for more than 3 per cent of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, researchers estimate.
5. What do microplastics do to humans?
We don’t know yet. But researchers are working feverishly to find out because of the alarming amount of microplastics we are ingesting.
6. Can recycling alone end the plastic pollution crisis?
No. Only about 9 per cent of plastics are actually recycled, according to a study from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. There are several reasons for that. Many plastic products are not designed to be reused and recycled. Some are too flimsy to be recycled, while others can only be recycled once or twice. Many countries lack the infrastructure to collect and recycle plastic waste. But perhaps the biggest problem: recycling systems cannot keep up with the explosion of plastic waste. Global plastic production doubled between 2000 and 2019.
7. So, how can the world tackle plastic pollution?
We need to think big. That means looking beyond recycling and finding ways to limit the environmental and health problems caused by plastic pollution. This means looking at every stage of products’ lives, from their production, design, and consumption to their disposal. This is known as the lifecycle approach. In practical terms, that means reducing our dependence on single-use plastic products.
It means redesigning plastic products so that they last longer, are less dangerous and can be reused and ultimately recycled. It means finding alternatives to plastics in a range of products. And it means preventing plastics from seeping into the environment.
8. This all sounds expensive and difficult. Is it?
Not necessarily. Governments, corporations, non-profit groups and people around the world are already rolling out innovative solutions to end plastic pollution. And research suggests the lifecycle approach could save the world US$4.5 trillion in social and environmental costs through 2040.
“We need to stop thinking about solutions to plastic pollution as an expense,” said Tonda. “They’re investments in healthy societies and a healthy planet—things that would pay dividends for generations to come.”
9. What is the world doing about plastic pollution?
Many countries are taking on pollution at the national level with laws designed to rein-in the use of single-use plastic products and compel plastic manufacturers to take long-term responsibility for their products. However, because plastic pollution is a cross-border problem, international cooperation is critical. That’s why nations are now negotiating a global treaty to end plastic pollution.
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee – tasked with developing the accord – will meet for the second part of its fifth session from August 5 to 14, 2025, in Geneva, Switzerland. The talks, say experts, are an acknowledgment by world leaders of the severity of the plastic pollution crisis and the need for a legally binding agreement to address it.
10. Why is there so much urgency to beat plastic pollution?
Without decisive action, the problem of plastic pollution will only get worse. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development forecasts that, by 2060, plastic waste will nearly triple to one billion tonnes a year. If current trends continue, this will lead to an increase in plastic pollution, with nearly half of the newly generated plastic waste landfilled, incinerated or lost into the environment.
Courtesy: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
