We have a massive problem with our plastic waste. We simply produce too much of it for the fact that it is not biodegradable. Since we have not yet mastered the correct handling of the material, a significant part of our plastic waste ends up in the environment.
How much plastic waste do we leave?
In 2016, the Germans caused around 38 kilograms of plastic packaging waste per capita. Only in Luxembourg (50.5), Ireland (46.2) and Estonia (42.2) is consumption in Europe even higher. On a global average, every person produces 0.74 kg of garbage per day. The amount increases with increasing prosperity With 11.8 million tons of plastic were consumed in Germany in 2016.
What plastic waste do we leave behind?
2 billion plastic bags are used in Germany every year, which corresponds to around 24 plastic bags per person The average useful life of a plastic bag in Germany is 25 minutes Around 320,000 Coffee2Go cups are used in Germany every hour. That is almost 3 billion disposable cups per year Around one million plastic beverage bottles are sold worldwide every minute Around 36.4 billion plastic disposable straws are used each year worldwide 16 billion Coffee2Go cups are used annually worldwide.
How long does plastic goods last on average?
Packaging: 0.5 years
Commodities: 3 years
Textiles: 5 years
Electronics: 8 years
Transport & Traffic: 13 years
Industrial machines: 20 years
Construction sector: 35 years
How much plastic is produced?
In 2017, over 14 million tons of plastic were produced in Germany. By 2015, more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic waste had been generated globally. Of this, about 9 percent was recycled, 12 percent burned, and 79 percent landfilled or disposed of in the environment Over half (56 percent) of the plastic that has ever been produced worldwide has been produced since 2000. The production of plastic required around 8 percent of global oil production in 2016 Around 36 percent of global plastic production results from packaging material. 14 percent are used for textiles and about 16 percent for buildings and other construction work The first plastic product was launched on the market in 1950. This year around 1.5 million tons of plastic were still produced globally Today, 407 million tons of plastic are produced every year. Of this, 146 million tons fall on packaging material alone, the majority of which is used only once. The construction sector requires 65 million tons, 47 million tons are used for textiles. Commodities cost 42 million tons and Transport & Traffic 27 million tons. 18 million tons are used for electronics and 3 million tons for industrial machines.
How much plastic waste is in the environment?
The total amount of plastic waste in the sea is estimated at 86 million tons. Only 0.5 percent of this is said to float on the surface of the sea. 39 percent are said to be already floating in the water column or in the depths of the open sea. The coasts and the seabed account for 33.7 percent and 26.8 percent are said to float in coastal waters Around 10 million tons of garbage enter the sea every year. About 75 percent of it is plastic About 82 percent of the plastic waste in the sea comes from Asian countries such as Thailand, China, Indonesia, India or Vietnam.
(From the internet facts about garbage, the planet garbage, plastic garbage, statistics about plastic)
