Plastic waste could double by 2050: Study

RESEARCHERS SUGGEST POLICIES TO ADDRESS ISSUE

NEW DELHI: Plastic waste around the world could double by 2050, but policies such as using recycled plastic, and investing in waste management could cut plastic waste by more than 90 per cent and slash related emissions by a third, a new study has found.

The study, published in the journal Science, comes ahead of the signing of the United Nations (UN) Plastics Treaty-the world's first legally binding treaty on plastic pollution.

Delegates from over 190 countries are scheduled to meet in Busan, Korea, from November 25-December 1 for the final set of negotiations, with the previous one having been held in April this year in Ottawa, Canada.

The study's findings could provide a crucial blueprint for tackling the plastic crisis, researchers, including those from the University of California Santa Barbara, US, said.