'Easy, Convenient, Cheap': How Single-use Plastic Rules The World

Thailand produces two million tons of plastic waste a year but started limiting single-use plastic before the pandemic, asking major retailers to stop handing out bags for free (Credit: AFP)

Each year the world produces around 400 million tonnes of plastic waste, much of it discarded after just a few minutes of use.

Negotiators hope to reach the world's first treaty on plastic pollution this year, but across five very different countries, AFP found single-use plastic remains hugely popular as a cheap and convenient choice, illustrating the challenges ahead: