How Much Plastic and Waste Do We Produce?

The world has cumulatively produced more than 7.8 billion tons of plastic and disposed of more than 90 percent of it as waste. Although some plastic materials are incinerated and recycled, the vast majority is still ending up in landfills and the oceans, contributing to a growing worldwide waste problem.

While durable plastics make up a portion of the plastics used, the majority of plastics is used in packaging of consumer products.

History and Trends

Plastics production began in full force around 1950, and during that year, the world produced about 2 million tons. Over the last several decades, that production has increased exponentially, by nearly 200-fold, reaching 381 million tons in 2015. When you consider plastics production as a whole, that results in more than a ton of plastic per person for every person in the world today.

Disproportionate Share

According to a report by Verisk Maplecroft, a global risk consulting firm, the United States makes up only 4 percent of the global population but generates 12 percent of the world’s waste. In addition, our country recycles only one-third of our waste compared with the most efficient recycling country, Germany, which recycles twice that much.

Fate of Plastic Materials

An analysis was conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that looked at the final destination of various plastic materials over the last 65 years. The cumulative production of plastics was about 8.3 billion tons and about 30 percent of that was still in use. More than half of plastics are headed straight to the landfills, while about 8 percent was incinerated and 6 percent was recycled.

Although individual consumers certainly have a role to play in reducing plastics consumption and waste, industry uses and produces a significant portion of waste as well. By implementing initiatives such as lean six sigma or investing in a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), businesses can reduce a vast amount of waste of not only plastics, but also other valuable resources and energy consumption.