Beat plastic pollution

More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year worldwide, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled.

An estimated 11 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas annually. That is approximately the weight of 2,200 Eiffel Towers all together.

Microplastics – tiny plastic particles up to 5mm in diameter – find their way into food, water and air. It is estimated that each person on the planet consumes more than 50,000 plastic particles per year –and many more if inhalation is considered.

Discarded or burnt single-use plastic harms human health and biodiversity and pollutes every ecosystem from mountain tops to the ocean floor.

With available science and solutions to tackle the problem, governments, companies and other stakeholders must scale up and speed actions to solve this crisis.

World Environment Day joins the UNEP-led #BeatPlasticPollution this year to mobilize communities worldwide to implement and advocate for solutions. World Environment Day will spotlight the growing scientific evidence on the impacts of plastic pollution and drive momentum to refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink plastics use to build a cleaner and more sustainable future.

What is World Environment Day?

Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and held annually on 5 June since 1973, World Environment Day is the largest global platform for environmental public outreach and is celebrated by millions of people across the world. In 2025, it is hosted by the Republic of Korea.

Why take part?

Time is running out, and nature is in emergency mode. To keep global warming below 1.5°C this century, we must halve annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Without action, exposure to air pollution beyond safe guidelines will increase by 50 per cent within the decade and plastic waste flowing into aquatic ecosystems will nearly triple by 2040.

We need urgent action to address these pressing issues.

Did you know?

  • Globally, an estimated 11 million tonnes of plastic waste leak into aquatic ecosystems each year.
  • More than 800 marine and coastal species are affected by this pollution through ingestion, entanglement, and other dangers.
  • Microplastics in the seas now outnumber stars in our galaxy.
  • The annual social and environmental cost of plastic pollution ranges between US$300 billion and US$600 billion.

Live updates of hundreds of global activities

Tune in to the live updates of activities taking place around the world, and share yours to inspire the world.

Planet Earth with location pins
EXPLORE

Related links

More resources

Join the #BeatPlasticPollution movement through the official website of World Environment Day 2024. You can access more interesting information, the actions you can carry out to contribute, as well as a large number of materials to promote the movement through social media. Every performance, no matter how small, matters.

This year’s World Environment Day comes exactly two months before countries meet again to continue negotiating a global treaty to end plastic pollution. This is the most significant environmental multilateral deal since the Paris accord. It is an insurance policy for this generation and future ones, so they may live with plastic and not be doomed by it.

Turtle eating a plastic bag in the ocean

Every year, we produce more than 400 million tons of plastic—enough to fill more than a million garbage trucks! Imagine that amount spilling into oceans and cities. Discover how we can stop this crisis in this UNEP's interactive experience.