tonnes of plastic burned in the open each year
Of 52 million tonnes of plastic entering unmanaged systems in 2020, 57% was burned in homes, streets and dumps, releasing toxic fumes.
- Value
- 30M
- Unit
- tonnes
- Data year
- 2020
- Trend
- Rising
- Source name
- Cottom et al. 2024, Nature
- Source link
- doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07758-6
- Confidence
- Evidence: High
- Verified on
- 22 September 2026
Sources last verified 22 September 2026. Page updated 22 September 2026. How we check sources