tonnes of plastic waste generated in 2019
Roughly 11 tonnes of plastic becomes waste every second. Only 9% of it is recycled.
Economy
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tonnes of single-use plastic waste in 2021
Single-use plastic waste grew from 133 to 139 million tonnes between 2019 and 2021 despite bans; about 4.4 tonnes every second.
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tonnes of plastic waste projected in 2060 without new policy
Plastic waste nearly triples from 353 million tonnes in 2019 to 1,014 million tonnes in 2060 on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development…
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kg of plastic packaging waste per person per year in the EU
Every EU resident generates about 35 kg of plastic packaging waste a year.
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of US plastic waste recycled in 2021
US plastic recycling has fallen, not risen: an estimate by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of 5–6% for 2021, against an official 8.7% for 2018 from…
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Only 9% of all plastic ever made has been recycled
The first global accounting of every plastic ever produced found that most of it is already waste and almost none was recycled.
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Even the EU recycles only 41% of its plastic packaging
Eurostat data show EU plastic packaging recycling rose only slowly, from 38% in 2012 to 41% in 2022, despite the strictest rules in the…
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56 companies are responsible for more than half of branded plastic litter
Five years of brand audits across 84 countries show a few consumer-goods giants dominate plastic pollution, and pollution rises in step with production.
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Single-use plastic waste is still growing: 139 million tonnes in 2021
Minderoo’s Plastic Waste Makers Index names the polymer producers behind single-use plastic and shows it growing despite bans.
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UN Environment Programme (UNEP): plastic pollution could be cut 80% by 2040 with existing technology
The UN’s Turning off the Tap report shows reuse, recycling and material substitution could slash plastic pollution and save trillions.