Saudi Arabia’s globally competitive plastics and petrochemical industry has supported industrial growth, but rising consumption is generating nearly 8 million tons of plastic waste annually, with household recycling rates remaining particularly low. This paper examines the plastics value chain and key barriers to circularity, highlighting opportunities to improve household waste segregation, expand recycling infrastructure, adopt advanced technologies, and leverage the Kingdom’s petrochemical strengths to build a more circular and sustainable plastics system.
