Oman leads in mismanaged plastic waste as projections reveal 111 kgs/person in 2024
Plastic waste
Oman is on top in mismanaged plastic waste, as per a new report that points out the projection of a staggering 111 kilograms of mismanaged plastic per person in 2024 in the country.This figure is 30 times greater than that of Norway.
The report is from the Swiss non-profit EA Earth Action and reveals that a mere twelve countries are accountable for a staggering 60 percent of the world's mismanaged plastic waste.
This comes as since 2021, there has been a notable surge in global plastic waste generation with a concerning 7.11 per centincrease. This uptick underscored the persistent challenge of managing plastic waste effectively on a worldwide scale. An estimated 220 million tonnes was generated this year alone. A troubling 70 million tonnes of this is anticipated to contaminate the environment.
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The report also pinpointed twelve nations at the bottom - China, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, India, Vietnam, Iran, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, US, and Turkey. India has a relatively low per capita plastic waste production and the country is projected to mismanage a 7.4 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2024.
India's mismanagement is less in comparison to that of China and the US, with its expected figures being less than one-fifth and one-third, respectively.
Plastic Overshoot Day
Plastic Overshoot Day, which marks the date in the year when humanity has consumed more plastic than the Earth can handle sustainably within that same period, is on April 23 for India, according to the report.
Sarah Perreard, Co-CEO, at EA Earth Action & Plastic Footprint Network, said, "The data is unequivocal: improvements in waste management capacity are outpaced by rising plastic production, making progress almost invisible."
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During the UN Environment Assembly in March 2022, a landmark resolution was passed to initiate the development of an international legally binding instrument targeting plastic pollution.
The fourth session is set to take place from April 23 to 29, 2024, in Ottawa, Canada, while the fifth session is scheduled for November 25 to December 1, 2024, in Busan, South Korea.
(With inputs from agencies)