Rate of plastic pollution will double by 2030 amid a fast-growing production, a report released by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned.

According to the "Solving Plastic Through Accountability" report, the world has produced since 2000 as much plastic as all the preceding years combined.

"Production has grown rapidly this century as plastic is cheap, versatile and reliable. These traits support the development of disposable plastic products, and almost half of all plastic becomes waste in less than three years. Most of these throwaways are consumed in high and upper-middle income countries," WWF noted.

"This issue is only decades old yet already over 75 per cent of all plastic ever produced is waste."

The report explained that one-third of plastic waste is estimated to have entered nature as land, freshwater or marine pollution, adding that 37 per cent of plastic waste is currently managed ineffectively.

"If business continues as usual, by 2030 the plastic system is expected to double the amount plastic pollution on the planet, with oceans the most visibly affected," WWF warned.

Carbon dioxide emissions from plastic waste management could triple by 2030 as other waste treatment infrastructure remains more economically attractive than recycling.

"Unmonitored, an incineration-lead waste-to-energy approach to the plastic pollution problem risks creating other pollutant issues for nature and society beyond carbon dioxide emissions," it pointed out.

The report indicated that about 40 per cent of plastics currently consumed are single-use, such as cutlery, plates, food containers and electronics packaging.

"Single-use plastics simply have to go," said Richard Leck, WWF's Head of Oceans and Sustainable Development.

"In terms of the calls to action, absolutely the ban around single-use plastics is very important," he added.

The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961, working in the field of the wilderness preservation, and the reduction of human impact on the environment.