On August 7, 2025, Brazil reaches its Plastic Overshoot Day: the point in the year when the country begins generating more plastic waste than its waste management systems can safely handle. From that date onward, every additional piece of plastic puts further pressure on collection, treatment and disposal infrastructure that is already unable to capture all the waste being produced.

In 2025, Brazil generated 6,670,722 tonnes of plastic waste, equivalent to an average of 31 kilograms per person. The issue, however, is not only how much plastic is produced, but what happens to it after use. When waste is not collected or processed through adequate management systems, it may be dumped, burned without proper controls, or dispersed across streets, waterways and coastal areas.

In the same year, 2,654,307 tonnes of plastic waste were mismanaged, accounting for 39.79% of the total. This means that nearly four out of every ten tonnes were not handled properly throughout the full waste management cycle, from collection to final disposal. On top of this, an estimated 49,717 tonnes of primary microplastics were at risk of entering Brazil’s waterways. These particles come from sources such as tyre wear, the shedding of textile fibres, plastic pellet production and paint abrasion. Their small size makes them difficult to capture and, once dispersed, almost impossible to remove.

Brazil’s Plastic Overshoot Day has shifted several times in recent years: July 25 in 2021, August 5 in 2022, August 9 in 2023, August 6 in 2024 and August 7 in 2025. Compared with 2021, the date has moved slightly later in the year, pointing to some progress, though the trend is not yet consistent. The threshold still falls in early August, leaving almost five months each year in which the country generates more plastic waste than its systems are theoretically able to manage.

Reducing unnecessary plastic production and strengthening collection, recycling and treatment systems are essential steps. At the same time, action is also needed to remove waste that has already entered the environment and could easily make its way to the sea.

In Brazil, Ogyre supports local fishing communities involved in Fishing for Litter activities in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro. Several waterways flow into the bay, continuously carrying urban waste into the area. Once inside, plastic and other debris often become trapped among mangrove roots. At low tide, these mangrove areas emerge as natural “islands”, where waste accumulates over time.

In this context, Ogyre’s project helps remove marine waste by working directly with local fishers and providing them with financial and operational support. The initiative therefore creates both environmental and social value: it contributes to protecting the marine environment while supporting people whose livelihoods depend on the sea.

Once collected, the materials are delivered to local waste management operators and recycled whenever their condition allows. Non-recyclable fractions are sent to responsible treatment solutions to ensure the best possible end-of-life option. Collection activities and waste data are also recorded through traceability systems, making it possible to verify each material’s journey from recovery to its final destination.

Brazil’s Plastic Overshoot Day has gradually shifted later in the year, indicating some improvement in the country’s ability to manage plastic waste. Yet with roughly 40% of that waste still mismanaged, the gap between what is produced and what can be safely handled remains substantial.

Closing that gap requires action at every stage. This means reducing unnecessary plastic use, improving product design, expanding collection and treatment infrastructure, stopping waste before it reaches rivers, and removing the plastic that has already entered the environment.

Stronger systems would reduce the amount of waste flowing into waterways, coastal areas and the Ocean. Over time, this could push Plastic Overshoot Day further towards the end of the year.

United Nations Environment Programme – UNEP (2021), From Pollution to Solution: A Global Assessment of Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution link

United Nations Environment Programme – UNEP (2023), Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy link

United Nations Environment Programme – UNEP (2024), Global Waste Management Outlook 2024 link

Ogyre (2025), Ogyre Protocol link

Ogyre (2025), Ogyre Code of Conduct link

EA Earth Action. (2025). Plastic Overshoot Day: Country dates 2025 link

EA Earth Action. (2025). Plastic Overshoot Day: Report 2025.  link