What is the primary cause of the increasing plastic waste crisis observed globally?

The main reason the plastic waste problem keeps growing is that we use a huge amount of single‑use plastic—bags, bottles, packaging—and then we rarely recycle or dispose of it properly. Because most of this plastic ends up in landfills or the ocean, it stays in the environment for hundreds of years, creating a snowball effect. Poor waste‑management systems, especially in low‑income countries, mean that a lot of plastic is simply dumped or burned instead of being collected and recycled. For example, a single plastic bottle can take up to 450 years to break down, yet it is produced in billions each year, overwhelming the world’s ability to handle it. This combination of over‑production, low recycling rates, and inadequate disposal infrastructure is the core driver of the crisis.