The plastic dilemma: 348 million tons of plastic produced per year worldwide, half of which becomes waste
Hamburg, December 11, 2019 - The world is experiencing a severe plastic waste crisis, primarily due to the enormous amount of plastic manufactured and the state of plastic waste management. Globally, manufactures produce 348 million tons of plastic each year, compared to 1.5 million tons in 1950. In Europe, only 30% of plastic waste gets recycled, meaning it is collected and treated but not entirely returned into the production system. In the most recent DossierPlus on the topic, researchers from Statista present the status quo of plastic waste treatment and how plastic impacts the environment.
Europe alone produces 60 million tons of plastic. Drastic measures taken by the European Environmental Agency (EEA) have shown to be vital in reducing potentially ruinous levels of waste generation. The measures aim mostly on reducing the use of single-use plastics and packaging, as those are the biggest culprits when it comes to plastic waste. The data reveals significant differences in selected EU countries when it comes to waste treatment. In Germany, for instance, only 0.1 percent of plastic packaging ends up in landfills, while Spain reported 38.2 percent of packaging in landfills.
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