The report suggests that despite years of appeals and encouragement, plastic pollution is only getting worse. It questions whether it is time to drop the carrot and pick up the stick. The report highlights international public-private projects, such as the Afri-Plastics Challenge, backed by the Canadian government, and domestic market efforts like the UK Plastics Pact from the Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP). Industry-led initiatives are also mentioned, such as the Flexible Plastic Fund formed by five of the UK's biggest names in branded fast-moving consumer goods. However, the scale of the plastic problem appears to dwarf the efforts of business and industry. The report states that the world produces twice as much plastic waste as it did two decades ago, with the bulk of it ending up in landfills, incinerated or leaking into the environment. Just 9% of plastic waste is successfully recycled, according to the OECD.
