The world is facing a plastic crisis, with millions of tons of plastic waste generated every year. Despite efforts to increase recycling rates, the reality is grim: only 9% of the world's plastic waste gets recycled, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The majority—nearly 50%—ends up in landfills, while 19% is incinerated. Alarmingly, 22% of plastic waste is mismanaged, meaning it leaks into the environment through open dumping, uncontrolled burning, or being lost in nature, ultimately contributing to the growing crisis of plastic pollution in oceans, rivers, and ecosystems.