Global study reveals millions burning plastic for heat and cooking in developing nations

Researchers at Curtin University have documented a practice that has largely escaped global scrutiny: millions of people in developing countries are burning plastic to cook food and heat their homes. A study published in Nature Communications surveyed more than 1,000 respondents across 26 countries, focusing on low-income urban neighborhoods and speaking with researchers, government workers, and community leaders. The findings are stark. One in three people surveyed said they were aware of households burning plastic in their communities, with many having personally witnessed the practice. A smaller but still significant portion reported burning plastic themselves.

The reasons are straightforward and grim. Families without access to affordable clean fuels and living in areas with no reliable waste collection have turned plastic into a dual-purpose resource: a way to dispose of what they cannot otherwise get rid of, and a source of energy for cooking and heating. Dr. Bishal Bharadwaj, the lead researcher from Curtin's Institute for Energy Transition, noted that the study was the first to provide broad global evidence of this pattern. People are burning plastic bags, wrappers, bottles, and packaging—whatever they have—to meet basic household needs. The practice has persisted largely out of sight, hidden in marginalized communities where it has drawn little international attention despite the severe consequences.

The health risks are substantial and well-documented. Households typically use simple stoves—three-stone fires, charcoal burners, makeshift devices—to burn plastic, filling homes and densely populated areas with toxic smoke. Women, children, older residents, and people with disabilities face the greatest exposure. When polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, burns, it releases dioxins and furans, among the most dangerous pollutants known to science. These compounds do not break down easily; they persist in the environment, accumulate as they move up the food chain, and can cause cancer, reproductive disorders, and damage to the immune system. PVC ranks as the third most commonly burned plastic, making this concern particularly urgent.

The contamination extends beyond the air people breathe. Sixty percent of survey respondents believed it extremely likely that toxic chemicals from burning plastic could contaminate food and water supplies. This is not theoretical. Studies conducted near plastic burning sites have detected toxic compounds in eggs and soil samples. When plastic burns near homes and food preparation areas, the toxins settle on crops, seep into water sources, and accumulate in the foods people eat, creating what researchers describe as a hidden health crisis for communities already struggling with poverty and inadequate services.

Addressing the problem requires more than warnings or moral appeals. Professor Peta Ashworth, director of the Institute for Energy Transition, emphasized that people resort to burning plastic only because they have no safer alternatives. The root causes are energy poverty, unaffordable clean fuels, and inadequate waste management systems. Solutions must be equally comprehensive: improving sanitation infrastructure, making modern cooking energy accessible and affordable, and working directly with communities to develop practical options that fit their circumstances and cultures. The urgency is real. Plastic use globally is projected to triple by 2060, meaning that without intervention, the number of people forced to burn plastic as a survival strategy will likely grow. The research provides the evidence base needed to design interventions that actually support the world's most vulnerable urban residents—but only if governments and international organizations act on what the data reveals.