The world has a plastic problem measured not only in waste volume but in human and environmental consequences. According to the World Economic Forum, more than 460 million metric tons of plastic are produced every year, while less than 10% is recycled. About 46% ends up in landfills, which are notorious for planet-warming methane pollution.
Much of the rest is burned, buried, or lost into waterways. More than one garbage truck of plastic waste reaches the ocean every minute, and tiny plastic particles have been found in remote places on Earth as well as in the human body — including brains, lungs, and placentas. Recent studies have linked microplastics to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
That is why poor waste management does not only harm the environment. It harms people too, while also linking plastic production to climate concerns because most plastics are still made from fossil fuels.
A better answer is to recover more used plastic, process it more intelligently, and turn it into useful films, sheeting, bags, and specialty products instead of allowing it to become landfill, incinerator feed, or pollution.