Report says by 2040 a truckload of plastic will be thrown away every second if we don't act now
Data estimates that by 2040, about 280 million tons of plastic waste will end up in the air, water, soil and human bodies every year.
Current production projections show that plastic waste will more than double by 2040.
Currently, about 130 million tons of plastic waste enters the air, water, soil and human bodies every year. By 2040, that figure will jump to 280 million metric tons—about what a garbage truck costs per second, according to new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts.
The estimate exceeds the group's previous forecast for 2020, thanks in large part to new data that includes plastics used in construction, transport and agriculture, rather than just packaging and textiles.
Scientists are increasingly aware of the environmental and health damage plastic causes, with tiny pieces of the material being found in some of the most remote places on Earth and inside our brains. Chemicals used in plastics have been linked to cancer, heart disease and decreased fertility, among other health problems. According to a Pew report, health costs from these chemicals are likely to reach $1.5 trillion worldwide.
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The report states that current estimates of plastics production will generate waste that will outstrip current management systems, especially as very little plastic is actually recycled.
The report comes months after global efforts to secure a treaty to regulate plastic production and waste collapsed, with the oil, gas and chemical industries vocally opposing limits on plastic production. Fossil fuel companies are looking to convert more of their products into plastic as the world moves away from burning these fuels to limit global warming.
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