Experts warn of alarmingly low global rate of recycled plastic

Despite growing concern over the environmental toll, global progress on plastic recycling remains minimal, with less than 10% of annual production successfully processed.

The majority of plastics end up burned or in landfills, contributing to global warming and causing widespread harm to ecosystems and human health.

In the absence of unified global data on plastic disposal, China’s Tsinghua University analysed national production and disposal statistics from multiple countries. Their findings, published in 2025 and cited by an article in Nikkei Asia, estimated that global plastic production reached 387 million metric tons in 2022, of which only 38 million tons—about 10%—was recycled.

“The outcome we have today falls short of what our people and the planet need,” the President of the Palau archipelago in Micronesia, Surangel Whipps Jr. told a United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) meeting on plastic regulation in Geneva in August 2025, underscoring the frustration of small island nations. Whipps spoke as chair of the Alliance of Small Island States countries.

UNEP launched negotiations in 2022 to create a comprehensive international treaty addressing plastic pollution across its life cycle, from production to disposal. While island nations and the European Union have called for strict regulations, proposals have met strong resistance from oil-producing countries and other stakeholders.

“Uniformly regulating plastic usage is difficult as it varies according to the distinct cultures, customs and economic conditions of different nations,” said Eiji Hosoda, a professor at Japan’s Tokai University.

Plastics release carbon dioxide when incinerated, and in oceans and other waterways, they fragment into microplastics. These tiny particles accumulate in fish and other wildlife, sometimes entering the human food chain. Studies have shown their harmful effects on human health and ecosystems. Experts stress that reducing new plastic production and expanding recycling are crucial to mitigating these risks.

The US, the world’s largest generator of plastic waste, discarded 70 million tons in 2019, recycling only about 4.5%, while 73% went to landfills, facilitated by the country’s vast geography. China, the second-largest contributor, maintained a recycling rate of 13%, and the EU reached 14%. Costs of collection and storage make recycled plastics more expensive than virgin materials, limiting further uptake.

Japan, according to the Tokyo-based Plastic Waste Management Institute, recycles 22% of its plastic waste, with roughly 70% incinerated. While the country recovers heat from burned plastics, the materials themselves are not reused, and Japan still lacks an effective system for separating plastic types.

Without substantial global action, the article warns that plastic pollution will continue to harm ecosystems, as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) projects that by 2040, the annual flow of plastics into natural environments will rise 45% compared to 2020 levels.

By Nazrin Sadigova