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Asia’s plastic leakage could rise 70% by 2050, OECD says

Methods to curb plastic demand are widely underused, according to a new Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development report

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Youngsters walk past plastic waste after flood waters recede from the banks of a river in Kathmandu, Nepal, last year. Photo: Reuters
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Plastic waste leakage into the environment from Southeast Asian countries – plus China, Japan and South Korea – could increase by nearly 70 per cent from 2022 levels by 2050 without effective measures to reduce the pollution, according to a recent OECD report.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said in its report that mismanaged plastic waste in the region, a “hotspot for plastic pollution”, was a major concern, with 8.4 million tonnes leaking into the environment from it in 2022.

“Informal and unsafe practices, such as open burning and dumping, persist in most Asean countries and China, especially in rural areas,” said the OECD Regional Plastics Outlook report, referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
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Plastic waste is a major environmental issue, polluting rivers and oceans and posing health risks to wildlife and humans as microplastics enter the body.

The OECD projects that annual leakage into the environment from the region could reach 14.1 million tonnes in 2050, of which 5.1 million tonnes could reach rivers, coastal areas and oceans.

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Countries in the region differ widely in waste management capabilities and measures to curb plastics demand were underutilised in most of them, it said.

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