SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA — A new study has revealed the amount of all the plastic that has ever been made in the entire world for the first time, and that number is shocking.
The study was led by industrial ecologist Roland Geyer from the University of California, Santa Barbara and was published in the journal Science Advances. It is said to be the first comprehensive report of the total amount plastic produced and how and where it ends up.
It is estimated that 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic was produced between 1950 to 2015. Only 30% of the plastic is still in use and the rest has become waste. Seventy-nine percent of the waste is in landfills, 12% was incinerated and only about 9% has been recycled.
"We are rapidly heading towards 'Planet Plastic', and if we don't want to live on that kind of world then we may have to rethink how we use some materials, in particular plastic," Dr. Geyer told the BBC.
The only way to permanently dispose of plastic waste is to destroy it with heat, yet this method would also generate emissions that could cause health problems.
According to Planet Aid, Germany, South Korea, Slovenia and Austria are leading other countries in recycling efforts. The United States only recycles about 35% of its waste.
The study estimates the global recycling rate would reach 44% in 2050, a number still far from enough to offset the waste we have produced.
The study was led by industrial ecologist Roland Geyer from the University of California, Santa Barbara and was published in the journal Science Advances. It is said to be the first comprehensive report of the total amount plastic produced and how and where it ends up.
It is estimated that 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic was produced between 1950 to 2015. Only 30% of the plastic is still in use and the rest has become waste. Seventy-nine percent of the waste is in landfills, 12% was incinerated and only about 9% has been recycled.
"We are rapidly heading towards 'Planet Plastic', and if we don't want to live on that kind of world then we may have to rethink how we use some materials, in particular plastic," Dr. Geyer told the BBC.
The only way to permanently dispose of plastic waste is to destroy it with heat, yet this method would also generate emissions that could cause health problems.
According to Planet Aid, Germany, South Korea, Slovenia and Austria are leading other countries in recycling efforts. The United States only recycles about 35% of its waste.
The study estimates the global recycling rate would reach 44% in 2050, a number still far from enough to offset the waste we have produced.
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