On July 28, 2023, earth saw its first Plastic Overshoot Day – the day the amount of plastic waste surpassed the capability of global waste management systems.
Key points
- As per the Plastic Overshoot Day report 2023, by 2040 plastic production is set to double, with plastic pollution is expected to triple.
- In 2023, a staggering 43 percent of plastic that is produced and used is mismanaged as waste, thus likely to end up in the Earth’s air, water, or soil.
- Every country has its own Plastic Overshoot Day, which is determined by the amount of plastic waste generated and the country’s capacity to manage it.
- In August 2023, 60 percent of the world’s population is estimated to be living in areas where plastic waste has already exceeded the capacity to manage it.
- China tops the list of world’s biggest plastic polluters. India, China, Brazil, are among the 12 countries that are responsible for 52 percent of the world’s mismanaged plastic waste.
- People living in Iceland are the top generators of plastic waste, with a yearly consumption of 128.9 kg per person.
- Moldova has the highest per capita amount of mismanaged plastic waste, with a projected 135 kg of plastic per person that will be mismanaged in 2023.
