THE world is set to drown in a sea of plastic after China declared it will no longer be the developed world's dumping ground, according to a new study.

It's estimated 111million tonnes of plastic - such as straws, bottles, bags and plastic wrapping - will have nowhere to go over the next 12 years.

3 The world is set to drown in 111million tonnes of plastic over the next 12 years, researchers have warned Credit: Alamy

Since 1992, China has been the world's leading importer of scrap plastic - mostly from high-income countries in the EU, the Americas and Asia.

These countries relied on China's willingness and infrastructure to take on these plastics as part of their recycling efforts.

But late last year China declared it no longer needed to take on the rubbish - creating a crisis for exporting countries.

This is because it is now producing more plastic itself, while more and more imported rubbish was tainted with food scraps or of poor quality and therefore useless.

3 It's estimated £111m tonnes of plastic waste will have nowhere to go by 2030

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, estimated that by 2030 there will be 111million tonnes of plastic waste with nowhere to go.

Jenna Jambeck, from the University of Georgia and one of the researchers of the new study, told The Washington Post: "There’s not really another huge main hub where this material has to go.

"There isn’t another individual country that has the capacity that China had to take the material."

It is believed up to 9billion metric tonnes of plastic has been produced since the 1950s.

In recent years there has been a growing awareness of problems caused by the increasing damage plastic is causing our waterways and environment.

3 China has for many years been the dumping ground for other countries plastics

MOST READ IN NEWS STORE TOT SNATCH Family's horror as 'kidnap gang try to rip girl, 1, from pram' in TK Maxx Latest furlough 2.0 Rishi announces furlough plan where workers get 77% pay for doing 1/3 hours 'WONDERFUL SOUL' Girl, 16, stepped in front of a train while pal watched helplessly LOCK THE BOAT Devon and Cornwall are worst lockdown flouters in the UK, new stats reveal FACE OFF Shocking moment passenger kicked off busy train for not wearing a face mask Exclusive PIERS PRESSURE Couple wiped out village's internet for 18 MONTHS to watch Piers on £30 TV

George Leonard, chief scientist at Ocean Conservancy, told The Times: "It’s probably going to collapse our recycling market.

"The price of recycled plastic is going to drop further.

"It’s going to overwhelm the waste infrastructure.

"I think from an environmental standpoint we have to think about physical leakage from landfills of mismanaged plastic waste into the oceans."

Amy Brooks, who led the research at the University of Georgia, added: "This is a wake-up call."