PLASTIC RECYCLED WORLDWIDE : OECD PRECIS

Paris : Only 9% of plastic recycled worldwide : OECD. Less than 10 per cent of the plastic used across the world is recycled, the OECD said on Tuesday, calling for ''coordinated and global solutions'' ahead of the expected talks on the international plastics treaty.

A new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report found that 460 million tonnes of plastics were used in 2019, the number nearly doubling since 2000.

The amount of plastic waste had more than doubled during that time to 353 million tonnes, the Paris-based OECD said.

''After taking into account losses during the recycling, only nine percent of plastic waste was ultimately recycled, while 19 percent was incinerated and almost 50 percent went to sanitary landfills,'' it said in its Global Plastics Outlook.

''The remaining 22 percent was disposed of in uncontrolled dumpsites, burned in open pits or leaked into the environment.''

The Covid-19 pandemic saw the use of plastics drop by 2.2 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year. However, single-use plastic rose and overall use is ''projected to pick again'' as the economy rebounds.

Plastic contributed 3.4 percent of global greenhouse emissions in 2019, the report said. [AFP]