ANKARA 

Plastic waste leakage to the environment in Southeast Asian countries, plus China, Japan, and South Korea, could increase by nearly 70% if effective measures are not taken, warned a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

"Driven by rising incomes and living standards, plastics use in the region is projected to almost double in the absence of more ambitious policies," the Regional Plastics Outlook report said, comparing the figures to 2022 levels.

The member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are "expected to see a near tripling," it added.

Plastic waste is projected to more than double, while plastic leakage to the environment is projected to increase by 68%, primarily originating from ASEAN lower-middle-income countries and China, the report also said.

Describing the region as a "hotspot for plastic pollution," it noted that 8.4 million tons of mismanaged plastic waste leaked to the environment in 2022.

Regional plastic waste rose from 10 million tons in 1990 to 113 million tons in 2022, the report also noted.

"Informal and unsafe practices, such as open burning and dumping, persist in most ASEAN countries and China, especially in rural areas," it added.

Plastic waste is a major environmental issue, polluting rivers and oceans and posing health risks to wildlife and humans as microplastics also enter the body.

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

The countries in the region differ widely in waste management capabilities, with plastic use in 13 countries surging almost ninefold from 17 million tons in 1990 to 152 million tons in 2022.

As over half of the plastic used in the region has a lifespan of less than five years, much of it quickly becomes waste.

Plastic use in the region may drop by 28% through ambitious actions, including bans on single-use plastics and taxes, which could also raise the recycling rate to 54%, and reduce mismanaged waste by 97%, the report also noted.

In a related development, talks for an international legally binding treaty on plastics pollution resumed on Tuesday in Geneva, after the previous talks last year in South Korea collapsed as countries split over measures on plastic output curbs and plastic waste management.

* Writing by Aamir Latif.