By the year 2050, the world is expected to generate 3.40 billion tonnes of waste annually. This means an increase of 70 per cent from the 2016 levels. The World Bank, in their report, What a Waste 2.0: A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050, published these staggering numbers back in 2018, calling for immediate action to stop this from happening. This surge is due to rapid urbanisation, population growth and the rise of consumer culture. And unfortunately, not much has happened since to mitigate waste generation.
