Share of mismanaged plastic waste caused by COVID-19 2020-2021, by source
mismanaged plastic waste generated during the pandemic.
An estimated 8.4 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic waste was generated globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital medical waste accounted for the largest share of this total, at approximately 87 percent. PPE equipment such as face masks contributed the second-largest share, at 7.6 percent. Regionally, Asia accounted for almost half of the