Plastic pollution will more than double by 2040, producing the equivalent of a garbage truck every second

A garbage truck full of plastic will be dumped every second by 2040 if we don’t act now, report says

By Andrea Thompson edited by Claire Cameron

Currently, an estimated 130 million tons of plastic waste enter the air, water, soil and human body every year. By 2040, that figure will reach 280 million tons, or about the value of a garbage truck every second, according to a new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts.

That estimate is higher than the group’s previous forecast for 2020, largely thanks to new data that incorporates plastics used in construction, transportation and agriculture, not just packaging and textiles.

Scientists are becoming increasingly clear about the environmental and health consequences of plastic, with tiny shreds of the material found in the most remote places on Earth and inside our brains. Chemicals used in plastics have been linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease and reduced fertility, among other health problems. Health costs from these chemicals could reach $1.5 trillion globally, according to the Pew report.

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Current estimates suggest that plastic production would produce waste that would overwhelm existing management systems, especially since very little plastic is actually recycled.

The report comes months after a global effort to establish a treaty governing plastic production and waste failed, with the oil, gas and chemical industries strongly opposing limits on plastic production. Fossil fuel companies have sought to turn more of their products into plastic as the world moves away from burning these fuels to limit global warming.

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