The World Bank Group studies have found that less than a quarter of plastics available for recycling in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines are being recycled into valuable materials.
The country studies found that more than 75% of the material value of the plastics is lost when single-use plastics are discarded rather than recovered and recycled.
According to the researchers, mismanaged plastic waste across the three ASEAN countries is threatening key economic sectors such as tourism and fisheries, and impacting livelihoods and infrastructure.
