The percentage of people calling for bans is up from 71% since 2019, while those who said they favoured products with less plastic packaging rose to 82% from 75%, according to the IPSOS poll of more than 20,000 people across 28 countries, quoted by Reuters.

90% of the people in the survey say they support a treaty on single-use plastics, but the actions taken in the future can vary from waste collection, recycling to banning single-use plastics.

"People worldwide have made their views clear," said Marco Lambertini, WWF International's director general. "The onus and opportunity is now on governments to adopt a global plastics treaty ... so we can eliminate plastic pollution."

If the United Nations cannot agree on a deal to put the brakes on plastic pollution, there will be widespread ecological damage over the coming decades, putting some marine species at risk of extinction and destroying sensitive ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangroves, according to a WWF study released this month.

Countries that support banning single-use plastics are Colombia, Mexico or India, which are developing countries placed at the end of the waste crisis. The IPSOS poll show that 85% of respondents want manufacturers and retailers to be held responsible for reducing, reusing and recycling plastic packaging.