Plastic Overshoot Day: Global waste now exceeds management capacity, according to report

01 Aug 2023 --- Friday, July 28, was a red-letter day for the planet as it marked this year’s Global Plastic Overshoot Day. The day, announced for the first time, highlights the point at which global waste management systems can no longer handle plastic materials effectively.

Swiss-based research consultancy Earth Action’s report shows plastic production has increased 20 times more rapidly than the recycling capacity over the past ten years. With the short-life plastic production slated to reach 159 million metric tons in 2023, the consultancy projects mismanagement of 43% of all plastic waste at end-of-life.

The report also highlights that the plastic waste crisis disproportionately impacts countries in the Global South.

Nations such as Bangladesh, Ecuador, India and South Africa are defined by Earth Action as “waste sponges” – countries that have low consumption of plastic yet a high level of plastic pollution from plastic imports.

“[Plastic Overshoot Day] should be a pivotal moment in the global plastic waste crisis,” remarks Earth Action founder and CEO Julien Boucher. “What is required is extensive and ambitious interventions from global governments and corporations, who can lead the change toward sustainable production practices.”

“Without this, the Plastic Overshoot Day date will only be brought forward every year. If we can measure and report our carbon footprints, why can’t we do the same for plastic?”

Earth Action projects mismanagement of 43% of all plastic waste at end-of-life in 2023.Measuring plastic footprint
The Plastic Overshoot Day report uses data from Plasteax, the first platform to offer plastic waste management data at both country, polymer and format-specific levels. The report focuses on short-life plastic waste originating from solid waste management systems and encompassing plastic packaging and single-use plastics.

The volume of plastic production and the resulting waste was analyzed and distributed across global economies, with countries being categorized into one of ten categories or archetypes according to the volumes that pass through their borders. 

The report states that 12 countries are responsible for 52% of the world’s mismanaged plastic waste, or 145.2 days of overshoot for 2023: India, China, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, Mexico, the US, Saudi Arabia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran and Kazakhstan.

Additionally, while Iceland was found to be the top plastic waste generator per capita, Moldova has the highest amount of mismanaged plastic waste. 

“We are currently living unrealistic, toxic, over-plasticized lives,” says Terry Collins, Teresa Heinz professor and director of the Institute for Green Science at Carnegie Mellon University.

“When mismanaged and released into the environment, the persistent materials and harmful chemicals from plastics can injure the health of humans and all living things all the way to lethality. We are damaging not just living generations but future generations as well.”

Report recommendations
Earth Action stresses that the UN Plastic Treaty represents a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to spark global action against plastic pollution. 

The policy recommendations laid out in the report include strategies such as reducing plastic consumption and usage, and promoting circular economy models such as repair and reuse initiatives. The plastic waste crisis disproportionately impacts countries in the Global South, flags report.

Furthermore, it recommends that dedicated financial mechanisms and capacity-building are required to implement robust waste management policies like extended producer responsibilities. 

“Businesses, for instance, must shift from disclosing their input of waste (e.g., ‘100% of our plastics are recyclable’) to disclosing their output of waste and its fate (e.g., ‘27% of our plastic is mismanaged and ends up in the environment’),” Plastic Overshoot Day suggests.

“Global North countries that export their waste to Global South countries must be held accountable for supporting infrastructure development in importing countries by at least the volume they export annually.”

The research consultancy urges all governments, corporations and individuals to become aware of their plastic footprint and take decisive action for proper waste management.

John Duncan, global initiative lead at World Wildlife Fund, states: “We cannot simply keep producing plastic, much of it unnecessary, without addressing the significant costs that the plastic pollution crisis imposes on the planet.” 

“For too long, the inequalities inherent in the current plastics system have kept the plastic pollution problem out-of-sight and out-of-mind for many, with the social, economic and ecological burden being borne by lower-income countries and poorer communities.”

“While improving global waste management capabilities will help, we need to focus our efforts on upstream reduction and design of the system, which is where the biggest opportunities lie,” Duncan concludes.

By Radhika Sikaria