World’s Plastic Glut Is Set to Get Much Worse, Pew Study Finds

Despite clear evidence that plastic is clogging oceans and beaches and breaking down into microplastics that enter our bodies, humans are continuing to produce the material at accelerating rates.

The result: Global plastic pollution will hit 280 million metric tons per year by 2040, or a dump truck’s worth every second.

That is one of the alarming statistics from Breaking the Plastic Wave 2025, a report by the Pew Charitable Trusts with ICF International. It offers a comprehensive assessment of plastic pollution and its effect on human health and the environment.

In August, talks to forge an international treaty to rein ...