Ocean Plastic Waste Likely to Double by 2030, Says WWF Plastics Report

The international non-governmental organization World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), in its latest report, warned that plastic waste in oceans is set to double by 2030 to hit 300 million tons. Alarmingly, more than nine million tons of plastic enter the ocean in every single minute.

 

According to WWF, an average person consumes 53 kilograms of plastic every year, thereby resulting in generation of more than 300 million tons of plastic across the world. This is predicted to double by 2030. Only around one-fifth of the plastic is collected and sent for recycling worldwide. Almost a third of the plastics produced will find its way into the oceans, WWF noted. Also, more than 50% of the plastics are burned or sent to landfill. The carbon emissions due to burning of plastics are expected to triple by 2030.

 

The new plastics report titled “Solving Plastic through Accountability” call upon policy makers to draft a global, legally binding agreement to stop plastic from entering marine environments. Further, it urges countries to set up strong national targets to cut down on plastic use. Richard Leck, WWF's Head of Oceans and Sustainable Development calls for absolute ban on single-use plastics and announcement of incentives for producers who use multi-use plastic products. As per WWF estimates, phasing out of single-use plastics will lead to 40% cut in plastics demand by 2030.

 

An earlier study of ocean plastic pollution indicated that more than 50% of the plastic waste that flows into the oceans originates in five countries- China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.