According to the Thomson Reuters Foundation News, we ingest the weight of a 42 Lego brick in plastic in a month, and a firemans helmet in a year. The rest of Asia combined is responsible for 17%, and Europe produces 15%. For instance, plastic bags from department stores, plastic straws, coffee cups, chips and snack packaging, candy wrappers, and soiled plastic bottles are not recyclable. It is predicted that production will continue to increase year on year when the latest data for 2021 becomes available. Contrary to popular belief, only a small proportion of plastic waste floats. People discard plastic waste irresponsibly during travels, camping, parties, and on daily occasions. Your email address will not be published. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How Much Is The Plastic Recycling Market Worth?\n","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The value of the global plastic recycling industry is projected to grow from $34 billion in 2019 to $60 billion in 2027.\n\nThis represents a 6.8% compound annual growth rate."}}]}. Can Bedsheets be Toxic? This is remarkable considering just 15 or so years ago, Slovenian waste went straight to the landfill. Is Burning Paper Bad for the Environment & What Harm Does it Do? Connecting curbside recycling programs with resident recycling education should be a priority this year, to encourage people to recycle more plastic items from home. Honestly, there are a number of things that you can do to help reduce plastic waste. According to OED 2022, how much plastic waste is recycled? 1 Some materials, like glass and aluminum, have relatively high recycling rates and can be recycled endlessly. In third place is South Korea, with a recycling rate of 65%, just 2% less than Germany and 7% less than Slovenia. In fact, many of the common plastic products we use and throw daily arent recycled. Also included is a series of material recycling statistics, focused on the most recycled materials in North America. Proven solutions that will reduce US plastic waste and pollution already exist and can be swiftly enacted. Are you comfortable with buying from companies that make such significant contributions to the plastic pollution crisis? Metals (12.6%) were the second most recycled material in the US in 2018. Increased awareness about the plastic pollution problem is still not expected to reduce our consumption. Despite the UK's best efforts, recycling rates for plastic bottles have remained unchanged for the last 5 years at 57%.The plastic that truly is recycled, is usually only recycled 2 or 3 times. You can also join different movements on reducing plastic waste. Countries such as China used to accept ships full of plastic waste from the US, says Jan Dell, founder of the Last Beach Cleanup, but without that option, more plastic is ending up thrown away, since few US facilities have the capacity to recycle it. Of that, only nine percent has been recycled. The recycling industry has a long way to go when it comes to plastic waste. Of this, just 600 million tonnes (a little over 6.5%) has been recycled, and just 200 million tonnes of that is still in use. Knowing that most of the plastic waste ever created by human society was not recycled! For context, here are a few recycling facts on the federal level. The reusable water bottle market, for example, is expected to grow in value from $8.75 billion in 2020 to $10.6 billion in 2025. There are at least some signs of increased demand for eco-friendly water bottles and other sustainable alternatives. Another possible option is to purchase a domestic plastic shredder. Very big. We have researched and gathered the latest key plastics industry data in five main areas: plastic waste generation, plastic production, recycling, pollution, and future outlook. ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Producing plastic takes around 62 to 108 megajoules of energy per kilogram based on U.S. efficiency averages. In terms of production and distribution of plastic products, China leads the way with a 32% share of global production volume. Other regions such as Latin America (11%), the Middle East (10%), Japan (9%) and Central Europe (9%) are not far behind. Much of the plastic used in hospital equipment -- tubing, blood bags, masks and more -- is PVC, as is mos . 42% of recyclables are considered electronic waste, or e-waste. The so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, floating off the coast of California, is more than 4 times the size of Germany.\n\nThere are an estimated 1.3 trillion pieces in the Indian Ocean, 930 billion in the North Atlantic, and another 491 billion in the South Pacific.\n\nContrary to popular belief, only a small proportion of plastic waste floats. This is a strong indicator that more plastic recycling programs are needed everywhere, including experimental chemical recycling processes. The Top 8 Material Recycling Statistics (USA), Some 3000 pounds of food per second goes to waste, which means that half of all food is thrown away in North America. The most recycled metals as of 2019 include lead (76%), titanium (60%), magnesium (52%) and aluminum (51%). Sign up for our email newsletter! You'll learn how much plastic is already out there, how much more is being produced each year, and what it's used for. The Coca-Cola company has the largest plastic footprint on earth, using an eye watering 2.9 million metric tonnes of plastic packaging annually. Among the bottom 10 recycling States were Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The Department of Energy also released a research paper this week, which analyzed data from 2019, and came to the same number: only 5% of plastics are being recycled. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How Are Recycled Plastics Used? Plastic must have a recycling rate of 30% to reach that standard; no plastic has ever been recycled and reused close to that rate. Metals (12.6%) were the second most recycled material in the US in 2018. Production continues to grow steadily year on year. Since 1950, when plastics began to be mass-produced, the world has manufactured over 9 billion metric tonnes of plastic. Meanwhile, plastic trash that has no market demand (or the quality of the plastic waste is too poor or too dirty) will be sent to landfill or incinerators. Plastics with the same resin number cant always be recycled together because they arent created with the same production method. ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Since 1950, when plastics began to be mass produced, the world has manufactured over 9 billion metric tonnes of plastic. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How Much Plastic MSW Does The US Produce? Also, how much gets recycled, how much goes to waste, and what happens to it. The vast majority79 percentis accumulating in landfills or sloughing off in the natural environment as litter. Globally, e-waste volumes grew to 53.6 million metric tons in 2019, an increase of 21% since 2014. This represents a 6.8% compound annual growth rate. Worse, roughly 79% of the global plastic waste is currently left accumulating in either landfill or the natural environment and oceans. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How Much Plastic Ends Up In Our Tap Water? The sheer volume of plastic in our rivers and oceans will inevitably lead back to our drinking water. India was second worst with 26.3 million, and China third with 21.6 million. The United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, and Belgium are named as the Top 5 exporters of plastic waste in the world. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How Much Is The Plastic Production Industry Worth? Transport was third, using 47.5 million tonnes. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Which Countries Lead The Way In Plastic Bottle Recycling? Unlike plastic, glass bottles and jars are fully recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without degradation of quality or purity. The final three places in the top 10 belong to Italy and Belgium, tied at 55%, and Switzerland with a 53% municipal recycling rate. 25 Plastic Waste Statistics That Will Shock You. When most people toss a plastic bottle or cup into the recycling bin, they assume that means the plastic is recycled but a new report lays bare how rarely that actually happens. Other nations with high recycling rates are Japan (84.8%), Sweden (84%) and India (80%). DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106508 Unrecyclable plastic can now be recycled Dec 3, 2022; Mumbai Police recovers body of 29-year-old with several stab wounds Dec 3, 2022; Hyderabad University professor arrested for molesting foreign student Dec 3, 2022; The top 3 States with best recycling rates include Maine (72%), Vermont (62%) and Massachusetts (55%). They leveraged the heartstrings of consumers and said this stuff was recyclable., Bans on single-use plastic items such as bags, food containers and utensils are increasingly popular, with versions adopted in places including the European Union, the state of California, and Los Angeles. Required fields are marked *. We begin with a list of useful stats, then break-down global statistics, federal facts, and state recycling statistics to get an accurate view of the latest EPA data. For instance, you can participate in the Plastic Free July challenge or support your citys plastic waste recycling program. By 2019 we were producing a massive 368 million metric tons. Meanwhile, Plastic Oceans suggests that thanks to all the plastic trash in the ocean, an average person today consumes over 40 pounds of plastic in a lifetime. Something to think about next time you throw a plastic bottle, bag, carton, or wrapper away, theres a good chance youll be drinking part of it (or a similar one) within the next few years. But such rules need to go further, the report says. Microplastics and synthetic particles ingested by deep-sea amphipods in six of the deepest marine ecosystems on Earth, Plastic pollution discovered at deepest point of ocean, Humans Eating Plastic Over 40 Pounds In A Lifetime. The sheer scale of plastic waste in our Oceans is staggering. Floating plastic debris similar to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch are currently the most abundant items of marine litter found on the ocean. The global average plastic recycling rate is just 18%. See also: What do the 7 Plastic Recycling Symbols Mean? Scrap metals and cans remain key recycling materials that should be a central focus for all recycling programs this year. ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The United States, India and China hold the unwanted top 3 positions in the global plastic waste league table. What Happens to the Plastic We Throw Away? This is almost twice as much as the second most common application, building and construction, which used 64 million. ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"We now produce around 367 Million Metric Tons of plastic globally, every year"}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How Much Energy Does Plastic Production Use? Of this, just 600 million tonnes (a little over 6.5%) has been recycled, and just 200 million tonnes of that is still in use. So what exactly is all that plastic being used for? This comprises everyday items including containers such as bottles, pots, tubs and trays, or wrappings such as plastic shopping bags, rubbish bags, bubble wrap or shrink wrap. This gives you the opportunity to enact real change on a local level, if you discover methods that will significantly improve recycling in your municipality. Many developed countries have opted to send their garbage elsewhere when they are unable or unwilling to deal with it themselves. ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) is the most commonly recycled type of plastic, accounting for 55% of global plastic recycling.\n\nHigh Density Polyethylene (HDPE) accounts for another 32.9%.\n\nOther types of plastic are rarely recycled. It is followed by NAFTA with 19%. ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"When it comes to PET plastic bottle recycling rates, Norway is the world leader. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Which Countries Generate The Most Plastic Waste? Plastics stand out as egregiously wasteful in the world of recycling: paper is recycled at 66%, according to the American Forest Products Association, while the figure for aluminum cans is about 50.4%, according to the EPA. It doesnt have to be a sudden change that would inconvenience your (or your familys) current lifestyle. Your email address will not be published. 6% of all municipal solid waste recycled in 2018, was. System improvements like curbside programs, deposit return systems and new technologies were critical to recycling infrastructure. An attempt to quantify the sheer volume of plastic waste created globally was made in 2016. Recycled plastic price per kilo. The latest estimates for England only, indicate that waste generation was around 33.8 million tonnes in 2020, a decrease of 9% since 2019. The huge amount of plastic in the ocean is resulting in over 1 million marine animals and sea birds being killed each year. For instance, the plastic recycling facilities in your city might only accept #1 and #2 plastics others will be sent to landfills. Take a pragmatic look at how your municipality equips your local community with the means to make better recycling decisions. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What Proportion Of Our MSW (Trash) Is Plastic? Every hour, 2.5 million plastic bottles are thrown away in the U.S. These are the areas in which our choices as individuals can have a massive effect. Recyclable plastic trash created in remote regions that are very far away from recycling facilities arent recycled as it is too expensive to ship them. ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Coca Cola products were found in plastic waste most frequently, with 13,834 items found across 51 countries. Many people on the beach and traveling in the sea also carelessly throw all kinds of trash on the coastlines and the ocean, not thinking of the consequences of their actions. As you have guessed, some plastic trash we throw goes to the recycling facilities and will be used to create new products. And even when plastics are recycled, about a third of the material from a PET plastic bottle is discarded in the process. 1 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5eda91260bbb7e7a4bf528d8/t/62726edceb7cc742d53eb073/1651666652743/.pdf 2 https://circularityinaction.com/2020PlasticRecyclingData 3 https://www.unep.org/interactives/beat-plastic-pollution/ 4 https://www.recycleacrossamerica.org/recycling-facts 5 https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/whopping-91-percent-plastic-isnt-recycled 6 https://archive.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/paper/web/html/faqs.html 7 https://www.afandpa.org/priorities/recycling 8 https://www.mga.edu/sustainability/docs/Recycling_Facts.pdf 9 https://www.statista.com/statistics/209332/apparent-consumption-of-aluminum-in-the-us/ 10 https://international-aluminium.org/resource/aluminium-sector-greenhouse-gas-pathways-to-2050-2021/ 11 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/12/aluminium-emissions-recycling-circular-economy/ 12 https://www.gpi.org/glass-recycling-facts 13 https://www.gpi.org/news/ripple-glass-recycles-over-1b-pounds-each-year 14 https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/helping-communities-manage-electronic-waste 15 https://unu.edu/media-relations/releases/global-e-waste-surging-up-21-in-5-years.html#info 16 https://earth911.com/eco-tech/20-e-waste-facts/ 17 https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/2012_msw_fs.pdf 18 https://www.worldwildlife.org/initiatives/food-waste 19 https://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/196402/icode/. ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Global demand for plastic is projected to increase by 4.1% by 2030, and again by a further 2.4% between 2030 and 2050. The next most common were plastic bottles and bottle caps. The rate of plastic recycling in the US has never been about 4% to 5% ever, she says. Switzerland is closely followed by Sweden, as . And since every city has different regulations and priorities, recycling some kinds of plastic might not be viable in your current location. Plastic pollution is growing relentlessly as waste management and recycling fall short, says OECD 22/02/2022 - The world is producing twice as much plastic waste as two decades ago, with the bulk of it ending up in landfill, incinerated or leaking into the environment, and only 9% successfully recycled, according to a new OECD report. It was found that plastic food wrappers (nearly 5 million collected) and cigarette butts (4.2 million collected) were the most commonly found items. Meaning: at some point, much of it ends up in the oceans, the final sink. This article was published by BBC News. The researchers on that report wrote that landfilled plastic waste in the United States has been on the rise for many reasons, including low recycling rates, population growth, consumer preference for single-use plastics, and low disposal fees in certain parts of the country, according to a press release. The next most common were plastic bottles and bottle caps. Learn The Life Cycle Of A Recycled Plastic Bottle Pepsico Recycle Rally. Together we can make a difference today & save tomorrow. This year, consider partnering with local business to enact real change. ESG 101: What Is ESG, and Does It Matter? With some 120 million households in the US alone, and about 10 million households in Canada there is still work to be done. An epic report was released recently that ranked US states according to their recycling rates for key materials, and success in implementing innovative recycling programs. Jump To: Top Statistics | Plastic Recycling Facts | Paper Recycling Facts | Aluminum Recycling Facts | Glass Recycling Facts | E-Waste Recycling Facts | Food Waste Recycling Facts. Its big business. Next came Nestle products, with 8,633 items.\n\nColgate-Palmolive, Unliever and Pepsico all appear in the top ten, with each company making significant waste contributions of between 5000-6000 items. 81% of the types of waste recycled is paper or cardboard. The price of virgin polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most recycled type of plastic used to make drink bottles, has fallen to US$500-600 a tonne, while the price of recycled PET flakes is now US$1,000 a tonne. While overall the amount of recycled plastics is relatively smallthree million tons for a 8.7 percent recycling rate in 2018the recycling of some specific types of plastic containers is more significant. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Are People Really Switching To Reusable Bottles and Cups? India was second worst with 26.3 million, and China third with 21.6 million. The plastic that truly is recycled, is usually only recycled 2 or 3 times. As a consumer, you can influence how much plastic waste is recycled. She says Nestle has replaced plastic with paper on candy in the UK something theyre calling paperification. How much plastic is actually recycled? 45 Carbon Dioxide, Greenhouse Gas & Climate Change Statistics, The 12 Most Environmentally Friendly Countries in the World, 13 Compelling Wind Energy Statistics & Facts, 20 Endangered Animals that will be Extinct by 2050, 15 Fascinating Reusable Water Bottle Statistics & Analysis, Can Reusable Water Bottles be Recycled (And How To Do It). 10 Ingenious Ways To Recycle Plastic Bottles Eatwell101. PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) is the most commonly recycled type of plastic, accounting for 55% of global plastic recycling. Colgate-Palmolive, Unliever and Pepsico all appear in the top ten, with each company making significant waste contributions of between 5000-6000 items. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The 2019 International Coastal Ocean Cleanup analyzed the nature of the debris and waste items that had washed up on the worlds coastlines and riverbanks. carner barcelona latin lover; sram force xplr upgrade kit; white eyelet dress with puff sleeves. A staggering 46% of plastic waste comes from packaging. Food waste generates around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. With the majority of plastic waste not being recycled, its not hard to imagine how big of a problem this is going to become in the next few decades. ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The worst affected region is the North Pacific, where it is estimated that nearly two trillion pieces of plastic are present. We can all make small changes today to reduce plastic waste and protect the environment for the future generations. Recycled plastic also makes eco-friendly clothing, sleeping bags, backpacks, toys, and carpeting materials. The so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch, floating off the coast of California, is more than 4 times the size of Germany. Understandable, but not ideal for incremental recycling improvement. Scrap metals and cans remain key recycling materials that should be a central focus for all recycling programs this year. Its amazing that even though COVID-19 shut down the world, plastic production managed to remain high. Material recycling rates are on the decline, so its important that we understand how specific materials are recycled and how to help residents recycle better. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), at least 8 million tons of plastic waste end up in our oceans every year. It is also estimated that around 12% of all plastic waste has been incinerated (burned) which contributes to carbon emissions. PlasticsEurope (PEMRG) | Stanford University | China Statistical Yearbook | Danmarks Tekniske Universitet; UNEP | Statista | AAAS | Basel Convention | EPA | UNEP | Break Free From Plastic | Heinrich-Bll-Stiftung | CSIRO | Heinrich-Bll-Stiftung | Plastic Atlas | Ocean Conservancy | Orb Media | News.com AU | IHS Markit | Grand View Research | Transparency Market Research | The Hindu | Plastics SA, {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How Much Plastic Does The World Produce Each Year? Of the 40 million tons of plastic waste generated in the U.S. in 2021, only 5% to 6% or about two million tons was recycled. The recycling rate of PET bottles and jars was 29.1 percent in 2018, and the rate for HDPE natural bottles was 29.3 percent in 2018. The report found that recycling leaders should prioritize reducing landfill materials that produce the most greenhouse gasses (see our article on green waste priority here). How many plastic bottles does it take to make a pound? In 2018, only 18.5% of the total PET waste generated in America was recycled. If the impact on our beaches and marine life doesnt persuade you that plastic pollution is a catastrophe, then how about this? However, other studies, including the UN Basel Convention, rate China as the largest producer of plastic waste in the world overall, although the US remains the worst per capita. Plastic waste and pollution have come to the forefront of public attention in recent years, but it's only when you see the statistics that you realize the sheer scale and complexity of the problem. Rubber, textiles, and leather (6.1%) were the third largest material set, with wood coming in fourth at 4.5%. Among the top 10 recycling States were Oregon, New York, New Jersey, and Iowa. In 2018, the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica . We dont have factories to do it. Dell says that solutions exist to replace single-use plastics for example, fiber-based food trays that can be composted or recycled. Are you curious about the state of recycling in 2022? Stronger plastic recycling practices should be put in place, while other materials like metals and glass become easier to recycle. The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. 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