Only nine percent of plastic recycled worldwide, OECD says

Less than 10 percent of the plastic used across the world is recycled, the OECD says, calling for “coordinated and global solutions” ahead of expected talks on an international plastics treaty.

A new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report found that 460 million tons 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 says.

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

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