World Plastics Production 1950 – 2015 • Plastics are a global success story. plastics are used.
The conveniences plastics offer, however, led to a throw-away culture that reveals the material’s dark side: today, single-use plastics account for 40 percent of the plastic produced every year. 21 Facts About Recycling Plastics Plastics are amongst the most versatile and commonly used materials in the world, and whilst no one can deny the profound impact they have had on the last 100 years of human history, our reliance on the various forms of plastic has made developing an efficient method of plastic recycling essential. Over 89 million
reduction and recycling programs across the country and characterize our national waste stream. • Plastics production ramped up from 1.5 Mio.
In 2014, in the United States, about 258 million tons (U.S. short tons unless specified) of municipal solid waste (MSW) were generated. t in 1950 to ~322 Mio. t in 2015. • Continuous growth for more than 50 years. 20 94 107 12 359 s n t & e s g
In 2015 global plastic’s production grew by 3.4% compared to 2014. As the Director of Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas Program, I’ve had the opportunity to meet people who care about the ocean and are making a difference for the communities that depend on it. Each year, 8 million tons of plastics enter our oceans; that is equivalent to dumping a truckload of plastics into the ocean every minute. In many of these market segments, bioplastic alternatives are already available today. ALL BIOPLASTIC MATERIAL TYPES DEMONSTRATE HIGH GROWTH RATES THROUGHOUT ALL MARKET SEGMENTS 0 00 s s in 1,000 tonnes Global production capacities of bioplastics 2014 (by market segment) 00.7 7.
However, I’m always surprised by the number of misconceptions about ocean plastics. Five Fast Facts on Microplastics. These facts and figures are current through calendar year 2014. Plastics in the ocean do not biodegrade, but rather break into smaller and smaller pieces.