The Cost of Plastics

Since 1950, the world's production of plastics has escalated 200 times. Production is set to triple again, to more than a billion tonnes per year by 2060. The most rapid increase, of course, has been in the production of single-use plastics for drinks bottles and fast food containers. Currently, 8bn tonnes of plastics pollute our entire planet. A new Lancet  review notes that plastics hit human health at every stage of life from infancy to old age. In deed, that review concludes that the current 'plastics crisis' is responsible for at least $1.5tn a year in health-related damages. Although microplastics are becoming recognised to be a ubiquitous health threat, plastics have detrimental environmental effects at every processing stage. This is from the obtaining of petrochemicals for their manufacture, to their disposal. Less than 10% of plastic is actually recycled (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/03/world-in-15tn-plastics-crisis-hitting-health-from-infancy-to-old-age-report-warns). It's been noted that petrochemical producers and plastic industry lobbyists are attempting to derail negotiations on a legally binding global plastics treaty to tackle the plastics crisis. One suspects they are not at all keen to be held responsible for any part of the $1.5tn health damage costs. Polluters, however, should pay.