Plastic Pollution Facts and Figures

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Plastic Pollution Facts and Figures (English)
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As new research on the production, life cycle, and impacts of plastic debris become available, Surfrider Foundation continues to assemble this list of credible plastic pollution statistics and figures, sourced mainly from peer-reviewed, published studies. Though many of the figures are estimates, their approved calculation methodologies are provided in the cited literature.

The more we learn, the more it becomes clear that the issue of marine and coastal plastic pollution is severe and widespread. Fortunately, the education and engagement of passionate coastal defenders, citizens, and community members can help stop the flow of plastic at the source, by switching to reusables and supporting legislation that bans the production and use of single-use plastic.

Plastic Production

  • Plastic production, first developed in the 19th century soared during the 20th century, from 2 million metric tons in 1950 to 348 million metric tons in 2017, and is expected to double in capacity yet again by 2040.[1]
  • An estimated 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics had been produced as of mid-2017.[2]
Plastic Production Geyer et al K Law Presentation.png
  • The US produces more plastic waste than any other country in the world, at an estimated 42 million metric tons each year.[3]
  • Plastic is problematic throughout its whole lifecycle - from the point of raw material extraction to its eventual disposal and dispersion. Roughly two-thirds of all plastic ever produced remains in the environment today—either as pollution in oceans and other landscapes, as microparticles in air, soil, and rain, or as microparticles in humans and animals.[4]
  • A 2019 study found that 79% of incinerators are located in black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities and the pollutant fumes produced by incinerating plastic have toxic effects when inhaled.[5]
  • At current levels, greenhouse gas emissions from the plastic lifecycle threaten the ability of the global community to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C degrees. By 2050, the greenhouse gas emissions from plastic alone could reach over 56 gigatons — 10-13% of the entire remaining carbon budget.[6]
CIEL Plastics GHG.png
  • The surge in natural gas fracking has helped drive the increase in "cracking" facilities, used to manufacture plastics. Many are still in construction, meaning instead of reducing our plastic production, we are increasing the capacity to produce millions of tons more. For additional information, check out this 2017 article and this 2019 NPR interview.
  • In 2015, about 730,000 tons of high density poly-ethylene (HDPE) plastic "bags, sacks and wraps" were generated in the United States, but only 5.5% of this total was recycled. In total, 4.1 million tons of plastic "bags, sacks, and wraps" were generated (including PS, PP, HDPE, PVC, & LDPE) with a recycling rate of just 12.8%[7] With an average weight of 5.3 grams, that's over 126 billion plastic grocery bags (HDPE bags) produced in the US in 2015. Using the 2015 US population of 321 million people, that's an average of 390 bags used per US resident, annually.
  • A 2017 Technomic industry report estimated that 170-175 million plastic straws are used each day in the United States, totaling to nearly 63 billion straws used annually.[8]
  • Producing the plastic bottles for American consumption of bottled water in 2006 required 3 liters of water to produce each 1 liter of bottled water. Production of these water bottles also required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil, not including the energy for transportation.[9]
  • For two years in a row (2016 & 2017), plastic bottled water has surpassed soft drinks to become the most popular bottled beverage in the United States, by volume. 12.8 billion gallons of bottled water were consumed in 2015.[10] In 2017, the average per capita consumption of bottled water was 42 gallons per person.[11]


Why We Can’t Recycle our way out of the Plastic Pollution Crisis

  • As of 2015, approximately 6.3 billon metric tons of plastic waste had been generated, only about 9% of which had been recycled, 12% incinerated, and 79% accumulated in landfills or the natural environment.[12]
  • For over 25 years, the U.S. has been sending massive amounts of plastic waste to China rather than recycling domestically since it was more economical to send it away. Seventy percent of U.S. materials were sold and shipped to Chinese processors.[13]
  • Recycled plastics often lose aesthetic or performance due to common additives like flame retardants and plasticizers. To increase the efficacy of recycling, a new plastic material is being designed with recycling in mind, called PDK (poly(diketoenamine)).[14]
  • In 2016, the total plastic bottle recycling collection rate in the United States decreased to 29.7%, compared to 2015, that's a decrease of 1.4% (71 million pounds of plastic bottles).[15]
  • The US recycling collection rate of plastic bottles is less than 30% (29.7%), which translates to roughly 6.88 billion plastic bottles that were littered or went into a landfill in 2016. Additionally, only 3 of the 7 types of resins used for plastic bottles are readily recyclable due to economic returns. PET and HDPE are the most commonly recycled and used plastic resins (jointly account for 98% of recycled plastic bottles), followed by PP (1.3%).[16]
  • In 2017, China announced a strict “National Sword” policy and U.S. recyclers no longer had a consistent buyer for low-grade plastics.[17]
  • China’s import of scrap plastic dropped from 12.6 billion pounds in 2017 to 110 million pounds in 2018.[18]


Plastics in the Ocean

  • Plastic is the most common type of marine litter worldwide.[19]
  • Up to 80% of marine litter is plastic.[20]
  • Plastic waste is entering the ocean at rate of about 11 million metric tons a year and could grow to 29 million metric tons over the next 20 years.[21]
  • When also considering plastic waste exported for recycling, yet subsequently mismanaged by the importing country, the US contributes an estimated 0.51 to 1.45 million metric tons of plastic waste to the coastal environment each year. This makes the US one of the highest contributing countries of plastic waste to the marine environment.[22]
US ocean plastic Law et al 2020.png
  • By 2025, 11 billion metric tons of plastic are projected to accumulate in the environment.[23]
  • The extremely remote island archipelago, Cocos Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean, is smothered in ocean plastics, with an estimated 14 million plastic items, weighing 238 tonnes, on local beaches. Single-use items such as bottle caps and straws were the most commonly found item, but staggering numbers of other trash items were also found, including 977,000 shoes and 373,000 toothbrushes.[24]
  • Up to 80% marine litter is plastic[25] and an estimated 80% of marine pollution more broadly comes from land-based sources.[26]
  • An estimated 8.75 million metric tons (9.65 million tons) of plastic enter our oceans each year from land-based sources (range is 4.8 to 12.7 million metric tons).[27]
  • Plastic has infiltrated every level of the Arctic food web. [28]
  • Once plastic enters the marine environment, it breaks into tiny fragments that are crippling marine ecosystems, disrupting the food chain [29] and accelerating climate change.[30]
  • At least 640,000 tons of "ghost gear" from the fishing industry enter the ocean each year, most of which is plastic.[31]
  • Ghost gear is considered the most harmful to marine life, due to the prevalence of entanglements, but is followed closely by balloons and plastic bags.[32]
  • 46% of the estimated mass of plastic debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made up of discarded fishing nets, while 94% of debris pieces floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made of microplastics.[33]
  • The Gulf of Mexico contains some of the highest concentrations of microplastics worldwide, with the majority of which being plastic microfibers. Researchers hypothesize the large drainage basin of the Mississippi River, which outflows into the Gulf, is the main transporter of land based plastics.[34]
  • As of November 2018, the highest concentrations of microplastics in deep marine sediments are found in the Arctic, likely transported there from distant sources by ocean currents.[35]
  • Over 50% of plastic entering the ocean comes from just five developing countries where there is a lack of waste management capacity.[36]
  • Plastics comprise up to 90% of floating marine debris.[37]
  • "Based on abundance (count per square kilometer), 90% of all plastic debris in the Great Lakes pelagic environment is micro plastic (<5mm)."[38]
  • By 2025, for every three tons of finfish swimming in the oceans, there could be one ton of plastic in marine waters.[39] Projections indicate that by 2050, the ration of fish to plastics could be 1:1. [40]
  • Scientists have calculated that 275 million metric tons (MT) of plastic waste was generated in 192 coastal countries in 2010, with 4.8 to 12.7 million MT entering the ocean. [42]
  • At least 5.25 trillion plastic particles weighing 268,940 tons are currently floating at sea.[43]
  • Cleanup of plastic debris is costly. Public agencies spend more than $500 million annually in litter cleanup.[44]
  • Texas beaches experience 10x more plastic marine debris accumulation than other North Central Gulf states.[45]
  • Plastic bags are problematic in the litter stream because they float easily in the air and water, traveling long distances and never fully breaking down in water.
  • Seabirds are at such high risk of plastic consumption that the level of plastics in their stomaches is used as an indicator of ocean ecosystem health by the Oslo and Paris Convention in the North Sea. As of 2017, 60 percent of fulmar seabirds have 0.1 grams plastic or more in their stomaches, which is six times the target threshold.[46]


Plastics in Our Food, Drinks, and Air

  • Microplastics have recently been found in fruits and vegetables, with the highest concentration in apples (233,000 plastic particles per gram of apple), resulting in estimated daily intake of 462,000 plastic particles for adults, and 1,410,000 plastic particles for children.[47]
  • Over 1000 metric tons of plastic are deposited from the air on to protected lands in the Western US each year. That's 132 plastic particles deposited per square meter per day! [48]
  • As established by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, over 10,000 chemicals are legally allowed to come into contact with food in the US, including being added directly to recipes or indirectly by being added to food storage vessels. 1,000 of these chemicals are not FDA approved, but are determined to be "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS).[49] Many of these intentionally used chemicals have not been tested for hazard properties.[50]
  • "Compounds of concern" (high risk to human health) that are allowed to come in contact with food mainly through plastic packaging include bisphenols, phthalates, nonpersistent pesticides, perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs), and perchlorate.[51]
  • People who frequently dine out at restaurants, fast food establishments and cafeterias have 35-55% higher pthalate levels than people who prepare food at home.[52]
  • Increasing levels of toxic chemical consumption and exposure, including toxic chemicals commonly used in plastics, have been linked to reduced sperm counts, and projected to cause infertility to 4 out of 5 men by 2040.[53]
  • 97% of children tested had plastic byproducts in their blood and urine samples, with high levels of the toxic chemical PFOA. *Research report has not yet been shared from German Environment Ministry.[54]
  • Several studies on plastic microfibers and nanoplastics have indicated that these particles are able to be ingested by marine animals and bioaccumulate up the food chain, carrying with them adhered chemicals and toxins, posing health impacts to both wildlife and human consumers of seafood.[55] [56] [57]
  • 93% of bottled water tested contain microplastics. A total of 259 bottles from 11 brands were purchased from 19 locations in 9 countries. An average of 325 microplastic particles (larger than 6.5 micrometers) were found per liter of bottle water (ranging from 0 to 10,000 particles per liter). Nestle bottled water contained the highest amount of plastic particles.[58]
  • An international study on microplastics in tap water found that 83% of the samples contained plastic microfibers (99.7% of plastics found were fibers). 159 water were samples collected and analyzed from five continents.[59]
  • In the United States, 94% of tap water samples contained plastic.[60]
  • Researchers who analyzed sea salt sold in China found between 550 and 681 microplastic particles per kilogram of sea salt.[61]
  • A test of 24 German beer brands found that 100% of samples contained microplastics. Microplastics identified included a range of fibers, particles, and granules.[62]
  • In 2019, a study in France confirmed the potential for atmospheric deposition of microplastics, documenting the deposition of 365 microplastics/square meter/day in a remote area of the French Pyreneese Mountains. Microplastics included particles, fibers, and films.[63]


Impacts to Marine Wildlife

  • Chemical leachates from plastic bags and PVC matting impair the growth of the world's most important microorganisms, Prochlorococcus, a marine bacteria that provides one tenth of the world's oxygen.[64]
  • 34 percent of dead leatherback sea turtles have ingested plastic. Plastic bags, which resemble jellyfish, are the most commonly found synthetic item in sea turtles’ stomachs.[65]
  • Researchers found that 80 percent of seabird species that spend most of their time at sea (of the order Procellariformes), which include petrels, albatross, and shearwaters, have plastic in their stomaches.[66] [67] This means that they are likely regurgitating plastic into chicks when feeding, reducing the amount of essential nutrients needed for successful development.
Cartoon by Max Gustafson
  • Commercial fish, such as Opah and Bigeye Tuna, consume plastic,[68] which could significantly reduce global populations.[69] A University of Hawaii study reports “[i]n the two [Opah] species found in Hawaiian waters, 58 percent of the small-­‐eye opah and 43 percent of the big-­‐eye opah had ingested some kind of debris.”
  • Impacts of marine debris have been reported for 817 marine wildlife species. Over half of these reports documented entanglement in and ingestion of marine debris. And over 75% of all marine debris is made up of plastic.[70]
  • Recent studies estimate that fish off the West Coast ingest over 12,000 tons of plastic a year.[71] [72]
  • In Indonesia, anthropogenic (human caused) debris was found in 28% of individual fish and in 55% of all species. Similarly, in California, anthropogenic debris was found in 25% of individual fish and in 67% of all species. All of the anthropogenic debris recovered from fish in Indonesia was plastic, whereas anthropogenic debris recovered from fish in the USA was primarily fibers.[73]


Economic Costs of Plastic Litter and Marine Debris

  • The loss of ecosystem services is estimated to be between $3,300 and $33,000 per tonne of marine plastic each year.[74]
  • It is estimated that plastic marine debris has reduced the value of marine ecosystem services by 1-5%, which equates to a loss of $500–$2500 billion each year.[75]
  • The "natural capital cost", based on environmental impact, of consumer plastics is estimated at $75 billion each year. The "natural capital cost" of plastic litter that becomes marine debris is estimated at $13 billion each year.[76]


Plastic Foodware

  • Plastic utensils are virtually impossible to recycle through curbside recycling programs, and 98% of all U.S. takeout or delivery meals are consumed at home or a workplace, where reusable cutlery is typically available.[77]
  • New York City residents spend at least $42 million per year on waste management fees for single-use disposable foodware.[78]
  • Clean Water Fund’s 2011 Bay Area litter survey demonstrated that 67% of the litter on Bay Area streets consisted of food and beverage packaging.32 The report also found that takeout cups and all the items that go with them (lid, sleeve, stir stick, etc.) comprise 13% of the litter on Bay Area streets. [79]


Plastic-like Alternatives

  • Crab shells & cellulose: PET is one of the most common plastics used for packaging. Scientists have recently developed a new alternative to PET made completely from natural, renewable, low impact ingredients including chitin (crab shells) and tree material (cellulose). Initial tests are showing that this new substance is actually more effective than PET at sealing goods and preventing oxygen exposure.[80]
  • Mushrooms/ mycelium: A mushroom-sourced plastic product is being developed by the company, Ecovative, named mResin. The resin is developed from mycelium, a mushroom like fungus that creates a substance that replicates styrofoam.[81]
  • Milk protein: Casein, a protein extracted from cow’s milk, has been shown in studies as a promising - if limited - alternative to low-density plastics (thin plastics like plastic bags). Casein is not very strong in and of itself as water can wash it away. Unfortunately, in one study, clay and formaldehyde were needed to strengthen its bonds.[82]
  • Chicken feathers: Chicken feathers are composed almost entirely of keratin, the same protein found in human hair and fingernails. Although many researchers have experimented over the years with keratin as a plastic-alternative, keratin falls apart easily when wet, and therefore hasn’t held much promise as a viable alternative. A 2011 study claims to have found a way. Unfortunately, to add strength to keratin’s bonds, a plasticizer called methyl acrylate (found in nail polish) had to be added.[83]
  • Seaweed sachets: A company in England is developing edible packaging made of seaweed. "Customers can eat the packaging — which has a slightly chewy texture, but little taste — or throw it away and it will biodegrade in about six weeks." As a trial, the creators are selling "juice shots" at a Department store in London, and have sold alcoholic drinks in these edible "cherry tomato-like" seaweed balls at festivals. Learn more here.


For even more facts and figures - and solutions(!) see this Plastics Solutions Briefing Booklet prepared by Surfrider Foundation and UCLA’s Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic. Interested in learning about ways you can help protect marine life from plastic, pollution and more? Visit surfrider.org and check out this article.

References

  1. ↑ Pew Charitable Trusts. Nd. Breaking the Plastic Wave: A Comprehensive Assessment of Pathways Towards Stopping Ocean Plastic Pollution
  2. ↑ Geyer, R., Jambeck, J.R. & Law, K.L. 2017. "Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made", Science Advances, Vol. 3, No. 7.
  3. ↑ Law, K.L., Starr, N., Siegler, T.R., Jambeck, J.R., Mallos, N.J. & Leonard, G.H. 2020. The United States’ contribution of plastic waste to land and ocean. Science Advances, Vol. 6, No. 44.
  4. ↑ Geyer, R., Jambeck, J.R. & Law, K.L. 2017. "Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made", Science Advances, Vol. 3, No. 7.
  5. ↑ Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA). 2019. U.S. Municipal Solid Waste Incinerators: An Industry in Decline.
  6. ↑ Center for International Environmental Law. 2019. Plastics and Climate: The hidden costs of a plastic planet
  7. ↑ US EPA. 2018. Advancing Sustainable Materials Management 2015 Tables and Figures: Assessing Trends in Material Generation, Recycling, Composting, Combustion with Energy Recovery and Landfilling in the United States. Pp. 9.
  8. ↑ Surfrider has requested additional information on this report from Technomic, and will share information as soon as its provided. See this article for a summary.
  9. ↑ Gleick, P. 2007. Bottled Water and Energy Fact Sheet. Pacific Institute.
  10. ↑ Beverage Marketing Corporation. 2017. Press Release: Bottled Water Becomes Number-One Beverage in the U.S. https://www.beveragemarketing.com/news-detail.asp?id=438
  11. ↑ Beverage Marketing Corporation. 2018. IBWA Press Release: Consumers Reaffirm Bottled Water is America's Favorite Drink. https://www.beveragemarketing.com/news-detail.asp?id=486.
  12. ↑ Geyer, R., Jambeck, J.R. & Law, K.L. 2017. "Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made", Science Advances, Vol. 3, No. 7.
  13. ↑ Dell. 2019. 157,000 Shipping Containers of U.S. Plastic Waste Exported to Countries with Poor Waste Management in 2018. Plastic Pollution Coalition.
  14. ↑ Christensen, P.R., Scheuermann, A.M., Loeffler, K.E., & Helms, B.A. 2019. Closed-loop recycling of plastics enabled by dynamic covalent diketoenamine bonds. Nature Chemistry, vol. 11, pp. 442–448
  15. ↑ The American Chemical Council and The Association of Plastic Recyclers. 2017. 2016 United States National Postconsumer Plastic Bottle Recycling Report. https://plastics.americanchemistry.com/2016-US-National-Postconsumer-Plastic-Bottle-Recycling-Report.pdf
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  33. ↑ Lebreton et al. 2018.Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic. Scientific Reports, Vol. 8.
  34. ↑ Abundant plankton-sized microplastic particles in shelf water of the northern Gulf of Mexico, Rosana Di Mauro, Matthew J. Kupchik, and Mark C. Benfield, Environmental Pollution November 2017: 230, 798-809.
  35. ↑ Bergmann, M. et al. 2018. High Quantities of Microplastic in Arctic Deep-Sea Sediments from the HAUSGARTEN Observatory. Environmental Science & Technology, Vol 51, No 19.
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  37. ↑ United Nations. Marine Litter: An Analytical Overview., Web. 14 Feb 2011. https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/8348/-Marine%20Litter%2c%20an%20analytical%20overview-20053634.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y.
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  39. ↑ Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean, Jenna R. Jambeck, Roland Geyer, Chris Wilcox, Theodore R. Siegler, Miriam Perryman, Anthony Andrady, Ramani Narayan, and Kara Lavender Law, Science 13 February 2015: 347 (6223), 768-771.
  40. ↑ 2015-2025 projection of plastics in the ocean based on an estimated stock of 150 million tonnes in 2015 (Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment, Stemming the Tide (2015)), estimated annual leakage rates of plastics into the ocean by Jambeck et al. of 8 million tonnes in 2010 and 9.1 million tonnes in 2015 (J. R. Jambeck et al., Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean (Science, 2015), taken from the middle scenario), and annual growth in leakage flows of plastics into the ocean of 5% up to 2025 (conservatively taken below the 6.8% annual growth rate in ocean plastics leakage into the ocean between 2015 and 2025 as estimated in Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean, middle scenario). 2025-2050 projections based on a plastics leakage into the ocean growth rate of 3.5% p.a., in line with long-term GDP growth estimates (International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook 2015 (2015))
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  42. ↑ http://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768
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  45. ↑ Wessel, C., Swanson, K., Weatherall, T., & Cebrian, J. 2019. Accumulation and distribution of marine debris on barrier islands across the northern Gulf of Mexico. Marine Pollution Bulletin, Vol. 139, Pp. 14-22.
  46. ↑ OSPAR Ministerial. Plastic Particles in Fulmars. Site visited in July, 2019.
  47. ↑ Gea Oliveri Conti, Margherita Ferrante, Mohamed Banni, Claudia Favara, Ilenia Nicolosi, Antonio Cristaldi, Maria Fiore, & Pietro Zuccarello. 2020. Micro- and nano-plastics in edible fruit and vegetables. The first diet risks assessment for the general population. Environmental Research, Vol. 187.
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  50. ↑ Muncke, J. & Andersson, A., et al. 2020. [https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5e5989de7d8ff17dd9d726c9/5e5ec3f0181cf6cf9a71db88_Impacts%20of%20food%20contact%20chemicals%20on%20human%20health-%20a%20consensus%20statement.pdf Impacts of food contact chemicals on human health: a consensus statement]. Environmental Health, Vol. 19, No. 25.
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  52. ↑ Varshavsky, J.R., Morello-Frosch, R., Woodruff, T.J. & Zota A.R. 2018. Dietary sources of cumulative phthalates exposure among the U.S. general population in NHANES 2005-2014. Environ Int. Vol. 115, Pp. 417-429.
  53. ↑ Grantham, J. 2020. Chemical toxicity and the baby bust. GMO.
  54. ↑ https://www.dw.com/en/alarming-level-of-plastic-in-childrens-bodies-german-study-shows/a-50432823
  55. ↑ Samarth Bhargava, Serina Siew Chen Lee, Lynette Shu Min Ying, Mei Lin Neo, Serena Lay-Ming Teo, Suresh Valiyaveettil. Fate of Nanoplastics in Marine Larvae: A Case Study Using Barnacles, Amphibalanus amphitrite. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2018; 6 (5): 6932.
  56. ↑ Ruilong Li, Huadong Tan, Linlin Zhang, Shaopeng Wang, Yinghui Wang, Kefu Yu, The implications of water extractable organic matter (WEOM) on the sorption of typical parent, alkyl and N/O/S-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by microplastics, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Volume 156, 30 July 2018, Pages 176-182, ISSN 0147-6513.
  57. ↑ Matthew B. Khan, Robert S. Prezant. Microplastic abundances in a mussel bed and ingestion by the ribbed marsh mussel Geukensia demissa, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 130, May 2018, Pages 67-75.
  58. ↑ Sherri A. Mason, Victoria Welch, Joseph Neratko. 2017. Synthetic Polymer Contamination in Bottled Water. Fredonia State University
  59. ↑ Mary Kosuth, Elizabeth V. Wattenberg, Sherri A. Mason, Christopher Tyree, Dan Morrison. 2017. Synthetic Polymer Contamination in Global Drinking Water Final Report. OrbMedia.
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  61. ↑ Dongqi Yang, Huahong Shi, Lan Li, Jiana Li, Khalida Jabeen, and Prabhu Kolandhasamy, Microplastic Pollution in Table Salts from China, Env. Sci.& Tech. 2015, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b03163
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