Plastic waste is getting out of control in Africa, growing faster than in any other region, Tearfund, a UK-based Christian charity told Western media.
The relief organization said that the present levels of plastic waste in sub-Saharan Africa, indicate that enough plastic is openly being dumped or burned every minute to fill a football field.
Three years ago, the region generated just over 16 million tons of plastic waste; by 2060, that figure will be nearly 94 million, the report revealed.
The charity attributed Africa's surge in plastic waste to continued socio-economic development and economic progress.
"The projected increase in plastics use is mostly driven by economic growth: more economic activity means more use of plastics, in production and consumption," the report read, adding that the population growth also leads to an increase in plastics use.
For the same reason, the report predicted that sub-Saharan Africa will also see a sixfold increase in plastic use (from 19 million tons in 2019 to nearly 116 million tons in 2060).
However, as the agency suggested, the region will lag behind the projected "leader" China (203 million tons), the US (165), EU member OECD countries (124), and India (160).
Tearfund also provided a forecast of plastic leakage into the environment. According to the dossier, plastic leakage into the terrestrial and aquatic environment will double by 2060, with 145 million tons of plastic accumulating in the oceans in 37 years.
In the long run, some researchers believe, the help to solve the problem could be ... beetles. Zophobas morio beetles, capable of devouring plastic, were the main driver of Russia's ambitious plastic recycling project.