United States Recycling Statistics Here, we'll be discussing recycling in the US. Imagine 55 million jumbo jets and that's how much plastic exists here. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Check out our Frequent Questions page. Global plastic production now averages more than 300 million metric tons per year, which is a staggering increase compared to the 1.5 million metric tons produced in 1950. Computer models suggest that seas hold as many as 51trn microplastic particles. According to the plastics industry, in Europe plastic production reached 61.8 million tons in 2018. In 2018, the rate of paper and paperboard recycling was 68.2 percent (46.0 million . Americans are recycling far less plastic, according to an analysis published Wednesday, with rates falling below 6 percent in 2021. Meaning: at some point, much of it ends up in the oceans, the final sink. in single-use products. China is the leading plastics producer with 30% of the total in 2018, followed by North America (NAFTA) with 18%. Production of recycled plastics increases to 49.01 million metric tons (25 percent of the addressable market). The US has recycled about 67.2 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) compared to 267.8 million tons of MSW generated in 2017. The Post-Consumer Recycled Plastics market in the U.S. is estimated at US$4.1 Billion in the year 2020. In 2018, about 146.1 million tons of MSW were landfilled. The company says reuse is critical to meeting its goals to reduce virgin plastic . These single-use plastic products are everywhere. Sorry. Mass production of plastics, which began just six decades ago, has accelerated so rapidly that it has created 8.3 billion metric tonsmost of it in disposable products that end up as trash. Plastic resins are also used in a variety of container and packaging products, such as PET beverage bottles, HDPE bottles for milk and water, and a wide variety of other resin types used in other plastic containers, bags, sacks, wraps and lids. Half of all steel produced, for example, is used in construction, with a decades-long lifespan. Another 19% is incinerated, 50% ends up in landfill and 22% evades waste management systems and goes into uncontrolled dumpsites, is burned in open pits or ends up in terrestrial or aquatic environments, especially in poorer countries. One, that globally humans buy a million plastic bottles per minute. This was 18.5percent of all MSW landfilled. In 2018, Lithuania recycled the most plastic packaging waste (at a rate of 69.3%). Of that, only nine percent has been recycled. Graphic showing what proportion of plastic waste is recycled, incinerated, landfilled or dumped into the environment. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. The primary data source on the generation of plastics is the American Chemistry Council. Of the 8.3 billion metric tons that has been produced, 6.3 billion metric tons has become plastic waste. More than 40 industry leaders have endorsed a new action plan to tackle global plastic issues, and have begun working together to create a more effective global system for plastics. The EPA estimates that 68 percent of all paper and cardboard recycling actually winds up being recycled every year. Another 15.8% was combusted for energy, while 75.6% was sent to landfills. #2: How Much Plastic is Recycled Each Year? Manufacturers also use plastic in durable goods, such as appliances, furniture, casings of lead-acid batteries and other products. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. The Plastic . On the other hand, developing economies with a minimal industrial base have recycling rates close to 0%. Unfortunately, much of the worlds plastic has ended up in the ocean, where, dispersed by currents, the stuff becomes virtually irretrievable, especially once it has fragmented into microplastics. This report shows that the global growth in the generation of e-waste continues. Only nine percent of plastic recycled worldwide: OECD Plastics contributed 3.4 percent of global greenhouse emissions in 2019, the report said. The level of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production, use and disposal of conventional fossil fuel-based plastics is forecast to grow to 19 per cent of the global carbon budget by 2040. It is estimated that we have recycled LESS than 9% of all the plastic we have produced 12% has been incinerated 79% has ended up in landfills, oceans, and environments In a recent study it was said that plastics are found in almost every major ocean basin in the world How much plastic ends up in the ocean each year? Consumer and . . "As the most populated nation with the largest GDP in the African continent, Nigeria's plastic waste problem is on the increase, this is based on its increased consumption from 578,000 tonnes . The United States ranks behind Europe (30 percent) and China (25 percent) in recycling, the study found. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of . Read more in The known unknowns of plastic pollution from our print edition. It could all have been dumped in a landfill 70 metres deep and 57 square kilometres in arearoughly the size of Manhattanif only it had remained on land. Of that, only nine percent has been recycled. Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling, Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures Report page. Increasing that amount would require changes in consumer behavior, the building out of infrastructure, and investments in recycling capacity. Spain is the fourth country in the European Union with the highest demand for plastics, where up to 50% of plastics ended up in landfills in 2016. Only nine percent of plastic recycled worldwide: OECD. How many times can a plastic bottle be recycled? 1 Here are some stats that show how recycling has changed in recent years: 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. [4] Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. You cant manage what you dont measure. Plastics accounted for over 18 percent, paper and paperboard made up about 12 percent, and rubber, leather and textiles comprised over 11 percent. Phys.org (formerly Physorg.com) is a leading web-based science, research and technology news service which covers a full range of topics. Approximately 91% of plastic is not recycled. For more comprehensive information, refer to the 2018Data Tables on the Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: Facts and Figures Report page. Polypropylene (PP): Household appliances, garden furniture, vehicle components, etc. Less than 10 percent of the plastic. The prediction that by mid-century, the oceans will contain more plastic waste than fish, ton for ton, has become one of the most-quoted statistics and a rallying cry to do something about it. Only 22% of municipal plastic waste is recycled and 31% of manufacturing plastic waste is recycled - all stakeholders in the plastics value chain have opportunities to benefit from increased recycle rates. All rights reserved. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy Some plastics intended for recycling end up in landfill. Asia is the worlds largest producing region, accounting for half of the worlds production (51% of the total). Science X Daily and the Weekly Email Newsletter are free features that allow you to receive your favorite sci-tech news updates in your email inbox, Phys.org 2003 - 2022 powered by Science X Network. We often simply throw plastics away into the recycling bin, however, due to the material properties of plastics, not all can be recycled. Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Correction (March 12th 2018): The headline of this piece previously stated that only 7% of the world's plastic is recycled. On the other hand, the recycling figure for packaging (household, commercial and industrial) that the Ministry for Ecological Transition (Miteco) sends to Europe would be 70%, but if only plastic packaging is taken into account, this recycling figure would be 45%. Unfortunately, yes. The action plan is presented in "The New Plastics Economy: Catalysing Action", a . Much of the growth in plastic production has been the increased use of plastic packaging, which accounts for more than 40 percent of non-fiber plastic. China alone accounts for 28 percent of global resin and 68 percent of polyester polyamide and acrylic fibers. These are part of the 9% of plastic waste that does end up being recycled. "We're about to double capacity" in Kosovo, said . Science X Daily and the Weekly Email Newsletters are free features that allow you to receive your favourite sci-tech news updates. Of the 9% of America's plastic that the Environmental Protection Agency estimated was recycled in 2015, China and Hong Kong handled more than half: about 1.6m tons of our plastic recycling every . A dash in the table means that data is not available. "After taking into account losses during recycling, only nine percent of plastic waste was ultimately recycled, while 19% was incinerated and almost 50% went to sanitary landfills," it said in its Global Plastics Outlook. Plastics contributed 3.4 percent of global greenhouse emissions in 2019, 90 percent of it from "production and conversion from fossil fuels", the report said. EPA used data from the American Chemistry Council, the National Association for PET Container Resources, and the Association of Plastic Recyclersto measure the recycling of plastic. Flow of plastic materials in the Philippines. Plastic recycling results in significant energy savings compared with the production of new plastics using virgin material. In a survey published Tuesday by polling firm Ipsos for the World Wildlife Fund, 88 percent of respondents stressed the importance of an international treaty to combat plastic pollution. Plastics contributed 3.4 percent of global greenhouse emissions in 2019. For the OECD, after taking into account losses during recycling, only nine percent of plastic waste was ultimately recycled globally. . Measured in percent based on total production of 398.45 million metric tons. "But we should not limit our focus just to the end of pipe solutions, there is a greater need in the long term to forge international cooperation and agreement towards alignment of standards," she told an online press briefing Monday. I would like to subscribe to Science X Newsletter. 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. Germany, Sweden and Norway had the best performances at around 40 percent, while France had only 24 percent, the OECD report found. Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request, Optional (only if you want to be contacted back). Plastic bottles being recycled in Bangladesh. The study was launched two years ago as scientists tried to get a handle on the gargantuan amount of plastic that ends up in the seas and the harm it is causing tobirds, marine animals, and fish. In that same year, American landfills received 27 million tons of plastic, representing 18.5 percent of all municipal solid waste. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines). Which plastic numbers are actually recycled? The data below are from 1960 to 2018, relating to the total number of tons of plastics generated, recycled, composted, combusted with energy recovery and landfilled. A recent. 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. Scenario 2: This scenario is derived from Ellen MacArthur Foundation New Plastics Economy report projections that by 2050, 53 percent of plastics can be recycled. Please, allow us to send you push notifications with new Alerts. This was 16.3percent of all MSW combusted with energy recovery that year. Sorry. With global reach of over 5 million monthly readers and featuring dedicated websites for hard sciences, technology, smedical research and health news, EPA does not include plastics in transportation products, other than lead-acid batteries, in this analysis. The Covid-19 pandemic saw the use of plastics drop by 2.2 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year. WWF-Philippines, 2021. A wide variety of other resins are used in other nondurable goods. Only 9% of plastic waste is recycled (15% is collected for recycling but 40% of that is disposed of as residues). Phys.org is a part of Science X network. IN A paper published last year in Science Advances, Roland Geyer of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his colleagues put the cumulative amount of solid plastic waste produced since the 1950s that has not been burned or recycled at 4.9bn tonnes. The correct figure is 9%. Meaning: at some point, much of it ends up in the oceans, the final sink. It's estimated that 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic have been used and discarded as waste. The U.S. Market is Estimated at $3.1 Billion in 2021, While China is Forecast to Reach $17.6 Billion by 2026. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. The plastic food service items are generally made of clear or foamed polystyrene, while trash bags are made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or low-density polyethylene (LDPE). 2026-27. Some of the major challenges include inadequacy of waste facilities due to constraints in funding and manpower, and the poorly implemented regulations for the recyclables market. The amount of plastic waste had more than doubled during that time to 353 million tonnes, the Paris-based OECD said. . Note: Roland Geyer,the studys lead author, says the team of scientists are trying to create a foundation for better managing plastic products. 11-Oct-2022 1:05 PM EDT , by Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences. Shardul Agrawala, the head of the OECD's environment and economy integration division, said Tuesday's report "further accentuates the need for countries to come together to start looking towards a global agreement to address this very important problem". It added that new technologies related to decreasing the environmental footprint of plastic represented only 1.2 percent of all innovation concerning the product. This site uses cookies to assist with navigation, analyse your use of our services, collect data for ads personalisation and provide content from third parties. 50% ends up in landfill, 19% is incinerated, and 22% goes into uncontrolled dumpsites . Even the scientists who have made the first calculation of the amount of plastic produced, discarded, burned, or dumped in landfills, have been appalled by the extraordinary dimensions of their figures. If we extrapolate historical trends through to 2050 as can be seen in the chart here by 2050, incineration rates would increase to 50 percent; recycling to 44 percent; and discarded waste would fall to 6 percent. To date, about 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been manufactured since its production began around 1950, which is equivalent to the weight of about one billion elephants. All rights reserved, Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society. Geyer, an engineer by training, specializes in industrial ecology as a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. In 2018, plastics generation was 35.7million tons in the United States, which was 12.2 percent of MSW generation. About 39% of materials recycled by Singapore come from demolition, construction, and industrial industries. Recycling helps prevent the manufacture of goods from virgin materials, which further results in less carbon dioxide emissions and the protection of finite resources. This category includes bags, sacks and wraps; other packaging; polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and jars; high-density polyethylene (HDPE) natural bottles; and other containers. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC): Pipes and fittings, valves, windows, etc. While calling for "a more circular plastics lifecycle", the OECD said that policies must also restrain overall consumption. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages. Now we have a situation where we have to come from behind to catch up.. In the face of rampant global warming and pollution, it is "crucial that countries respond to the challenge with coordinated and global solutions", OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said in the report. She or he will best know the preferred format. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. In 2017, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) dominated the recycled plastics market, accounting for 55 percent of the global market share. Only 9% of plastic waste is recycled: OECD report. Furthermore, every year, Americans use more than 102.1 billion plastic shopping bags, while just 9.1% of the country's MSW is recycled. Heres How Much PlasticTrash is Littering the Earth. Dirty Business: what really happens to your recycling Watch on Half of all plastic manufactured becomes trash in less than a year, the study found. Biology, Chemistry, Conservation, Earth Science, Oceanography. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. The recycling rate of post-consumption plastic packaging among Filipinos is still relatively low. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. 2.2 Global recycling rates 3 Recycling Plastic and the Waste Hierarchy 4 Frequently Asked . Around 80 percent of all plastics ever produced have not been properly recycled, and yet global plastic use and waste are projected to nearly triple by 2060, with plastic pollution doubling, according to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development figures cited by Greenpeace. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. 91% of plastic waste hasn't been recycled. Billions of tons of plastic have been made of the past decades, and much of it is becoming trash and litter, finds the first analysist of the issue. The widely circulated statistic that 9% of plastic waste is recycled in the U.S. has now been deemed an overestimate. Global plastic production by type, 2020 IEA projections of global plastic production in 2020, by type of plastic. "After taking into account losses during recycling, only nine percent of plastic waste was ultimately recycled, while 19 percent was incinerated and almost 50 percent went to sanitary landfills," it said in its Global Plastics Outlook. That amount is 35,000 times as heavy as the Empire State Building. In 2019, the world generated 53.6 million metric tons (Mt), and only 17.4% of this was officially documented as properly collected and recycled. Most plastics are used in the manufacture of packaging, i.e. If this seems like an incomprehensible amount, thats because it is. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. World must work together to tackle plastic ocean threat: WWF, An international treaty to curb plastic pollution risks being watered down. Exhibit 17: Top Exporters of Plastic Waste Globally: Export of Plastic Waste and Scrap in Thousand Tonnes by Country for 2018 II-44 Advent of Innovative Systems Streamline Plastics. This results in about $80-120 billion losses per year. The OECD proposed a series of "levers" to address the issue, including developing the market for recycled plastics, which only represent six percent of the totallargely because they are more expensive. The amount of plastic waste had more than doubled during that time to 353 million tons, the Paris-based OECD said. Trying to find other information? #3- More than one-third of waste in high-income countries is recovered . As a valuable and finite resource, the optimum recovery route for most plastic items at the 'end-of-li . It also called for "major investments in basic waste management infrastructure", including 25 billion euros ($28 billion) a year to go towards efforts in low and middle-income countries. Qatars World Cup has seen the biggest upsets in recent history, Government action to hold down energy bills will save lives in Europe, Protest movements as deadly as Irans often end in revolution or civil war. You can't manage what you don't measure. If present trends continue, by 2050, there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills. Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. Since the beginning of plastic production in the 20th century, until 2015, the world has produced some 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste, only 9% of which has been recycled, and only ~1% has been recycled more than once. Only about nine percent of plastic produced is recycled on average globally. On top of that, it is estimated that over . Two statistics jump out immediately. When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. European packaging firm says 100-percent-recycled-content bottle offers major carbon footprint advantages. Plastics are a rapidly growing segment of municipal solid waste (MSW). Refer to the definitions of durable goods, nondurable goods, and containers and packaging. The mass production of plastics, which began just six decades ago, has accelerated at such a rapid rate that it has created 8.3 billion metric tons, most of the disposable products that end up as waste. In 2018, the recycling rate of generated packaging and containers was 53.9%. Plastics contributed 3.4 percent of global greenhouse emissions in 2019, the report said. Plastics contributed 3.4 percent of global greenhouse emissions in 2019, 90 percent of it from . The study estimates that of the plastic recycled to date, only 10 percent has been recycled more than once. In summary, it's estimated that in 2015, around 55 percent of global plastic waste was discarded, 25 percent was incinerated, and 20 percent was recycled. . Of the plastic waste produced between 1950 and 2015, only 9 percent was The facts also report that plastic bags and ocean plastic are still significant global challenges in recycling. The same team, led by Jambeck, produced the first study that assessed the amount of plastic trash that flows into the oceans annually. A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that only 9% of the global plastic waste is recycled whereas 22% of it is mishandled. Credit the globalisation and randomness of football, Our model estimates how many, and how much that will cost, So far, 322 deaths have been recorded at demonstrations, Published since September 1843 to take part in a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.. Please refer to the EPA Methodology Document for further information on estimating the generation and management of plastics. The new study, published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, is the first global analysis of all plastics ever madeand their fate. That research, published in 2015, estimated that8 million metric tons of plastic ends up in the oceans every year. Globally only 9% of plastic gets recycled. You cant manage what you dont measure, he says. We werent aware of the implications for plastic ending up in our environment until it was already there, Jambeck says. Low margins and shortages of good quality raw material supply are key issues in China's plastic waste recycling industry. Plastic waste generated annually per person ranges from 221 kg in the United States and 114 kg in European OECD countries to 69 kg, on average, for Japan and Korea. However single-use plastics rose and overall use is "projected to pick up again" as the economy rebounds. 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