In cities across Africa, Asia and Latin America, households struggling with poverty and weak public services are increasingly burning plastic waste to cook food, heat homes and manage trash, according to a new study.

The research, published in Nature Communications, found that the practice is far more widespread than previously documented, driven by a combination of unaffordable clean energy, mounting plastic waste and the absence of reliable waste collection in low-income urban areas in the Global South.

Citește mai mult