Plastic waste statistics, figures, facts & studies 2022/2023

You search Plastic waste Statistics, facts, figures and studies? Then you've come to the right place. By 2050, there could be more plastic swimming in the sea than fish. In Germany, we use around 320,000 disposable coffee cups every hour. Frightening figures, aren't they? That's why the results from plastic studies, as well as the statistics and facts on global plastic waste, are crucial to sensitize people to the fact that we have a massive problem with our plastic waste. We simply make too much of it for the fact that it is not biodegradable. As we have not yet mastered the correct handling of the material, a significant proportion of our plastic waste ends up in the waste bin. Plastic waste in the environment.

In this article, I would like to give you an understanding of the most important plastic waste facts, figures and statistics from scientific studies. From consumption data and environmental impact figures to alarming forecasts for the future. Let's go!

Here is another short Table of contents about this statistics article:

• Consumption
• Production and utilization
• Environment
• Health
• Studies
• Forecasts
• Closing words

Notice: Even if many of the facts mentioned are based on the underlying studies, you will find all the exact sources again in the bibliography. Please share this article if you use statistics and facts from it. You can use the address of this page or the following citation. Thank you for your support!

Schulz, C.; CareElite.de (2019): Plastic waste statistics, facts, figures & studies 2018/2019. https://www.careelite.de/plastik-muell-fakten

Consumption data on plastic waste

These facts about plastic waste consumption and the types of plastic waste should give you an idea of the consumer behavior of our (global) society within a few seconds:

How much plastic waste do we leave behind?

• In 2016, Germans generated 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.₁
• On a global average, each person produces 0.74 kilograms of waste per day. The amount increases with increasing prosperity.₂
• A total of 11.8 million tons of plastic were consumed in Germany in 2016.₃

What plastic waste do we leave behind?

• Every year, 2 billion plastic bags are used in Germany.₄ This corresponds to around 24 plastic bags per capita.₅
• The average time a plastic bag is used in Germany is 25 minutes.₆
• In Germany, around 320,000 Coffee2Go cups are consumed every hour. That's almost 3 billion disposable cups per year.₇
• Around one million plastic drinks bottles are sold worldwide every minute.₈
• Every year, around 36.4 billion disposable plastic straws are used worldwide.₉
• The fishing industry alone causes around 640,000 tons of plastic waste in the sea every year.₅₂
• 16 billion Coffee2Go cups are used worldwide every year.₁₀

How long do plastic goods last on average?

Different plastic products also have different average useful lives. You can find the relevant figures and statistics here. This is how long the items from the respective area last on average:

• Packaging: 0.5 years
• Consumer goods: 3 years
• Textiles: 5 years
• Electronics: 8 years
• Transportation & Traffic: 13 years
• Industrial machinery: 20 years
• Construction sector: 35 years

Notice: These plastic statistics come from the 2019 Plastic Atlas₁₁, published by the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation.

Statistics on the production of plastic

Here you will find facts and figures on the production of plastics as well as on their recycling.

How much plastic is produced?

• Over 14 million tons of plastic were produced in Germany in 2017.₁₂
• By 2015, more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic waste had been generated globally.₁₃ Of this, around 9 percent was recycled, 12 percent incinerated and 79 percent landfilled or disposed of in the environment.₁₄
• Over half (56 percent) of the plastic ever produced worldwide has been produced since 2000.₁₅
• The production of Plastic required around 8 percent of global oil production in 2016.₁₆
• Around 36 percent of global plastic production results in packaging material. 14 percent is used for textiles and around 16 percent for buildings and other construction work.₁₇
• The first plastic product was launched on the market in 1950. In that year, around 1.5 million tons of plastic were produced worldwide.₁₈
• Today, 407 million tons of plastic are produced every year. Of this, 146 million tons are packaging material alone, most of which is only used once. The construction sector uses 65 million tons, 47 million tons are used for textiles. Consumer goods account for 42 million tons and transport & traffic for 27 million tons. 18 million tons are used for electronics and 3 million tons for industrial machinery.₁₉

How much plastic waste is recycled, dumped and shipped abroad?

• Of the 5.2 million tons of plastic waste generated in Germany in 2017, just 810,000 tons were recycled. This corresponds to a recycling rate of just 15.6 percent.₂₀
• Around 11 per cent of German packaging waste was exported abroad in 2016.₂₁ In 2018, this figure rose to almost 13 per cent.₂₂ 740,606 tons went to the 14 largest waste recipients from Germany alone - 132,106 tons of plastic waste were shipped to Malaysia alone.₂₃
• Of the 6.9 billion tons of plastic waste generated worldwide by 2015, around 9 percent was recycled, 12 percent incinerated and 79 percent landfilled or disposed of in the environment.₂₄
• The top exporters of plastic waste in 2018 were the USA (16.2 percent), Japan (15.3 percent), Germany (12.7 percent) and the UK (9.5 percent). The largest importers of plastic waste in the same period were Malaysia (10.7 percent), Thailand (5.5), Vietnam (5.2) and the USA (4.2).₂₅
• The average global recycling rate is 14%.₂₆
• On average, only around 7% of plastic bags are recycled in Europe.₂₇

Statistics on plastic waste in the environment and in the sea

You have now learned the facts about plastic waste in countries. The following facts will make you aware of the impact of excessive plastic consumption on the environment:

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 thought to be floating on the surface of the sea. 39 percent is said to be already floating in the water column or in the depths of the open sea. 33.7 percent is found on the coasts and seabed and 26.8 percent is thought to be floating in coastal waters.₂₈
• Around 10 million tons of waste end up in the sea every year. Around 75 percent of this is plastic.₂₉
• Around 82 percent of plastic waste in the sea comes from Asian countries such as Thailand, China, Indonesia, India and Vietnam.₃₀

How quickly do objects decompose into microplastics?

One of the most important plastic waste statistics is knowing how long plastic waste remains in the environment. A plastic bottle in the sea takes at least 450 years to decompose. However, the plastic waste only breaks down into smaller, barely visible plastic particles. You can find out how long a tin can, a fishing line and many other things take to decompose in this graphic from the Federal Environment Agency.₃₁

How many animals die from plastic waste?

As plastic waste is not biodegradable, it causes massive damage to our natural environment. Here are the relevant plastic waste statistics on the impact on wildlife:

• Every year, around 1,000,000 seabirds and 135,000 marine mammals die as a result of contact with our plastic waste.₃₂
• Plastic waste in the sea harms more than 600 marine creatures.₃₃
• At least 15 percent of all species are endangered by ingestion of or strangulation in plastic parts.₃₄
• A fulmar has an average of 34 plastic pieces in its stomach, which weigh 0.31 grams.₃₅

What statistics are available on the large waste swirls?

Worldwide there are at least 5 huge Plastic waste swirl. The ocean currents ensure that waste from all parts of the world collects and circulates there. You can find statistics on this here:

• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is 1.6 million km² in size. For comparison: that is about three times the area of France and 4.5 times the area of Germany.₃₆
• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch contains around 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic, weighing around 80,000 tons.₃₇
• Fishing nets left in the sea make up 46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.₅₃
• 92% of the 1.8 trillion plastic particles in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch originated from larger pieces of plastic in the ocean.₃₈
• On average, every person in the world is responsible for 250 pieces of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This is the largest of the plastic waste whirlpools in our oceans.₃₉

Microplastic & Health Statistics

What consequences Plastic in our meals The impact of microplastics on our health is still largely unexplored.₄₀ What is clear, however, is that small microplastics have already led to inflammation, physiological disorders and higher mortality rates in marine animals.₄₁

Here you will find, among other things, facts about Microplastics in cosmetics and the plastic in our mineral water:

• More than every 3rd sunscreen tested contains Acrylates/ C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer (ACS).₄₂
• At least every 5th face cream tested contains Acrylates/ C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer (ACS).₄₃
• More than every 10th body scrub examined contains polyethylene (PE). But polyethylene is only part of the big microplastic problem.₄₄
• Researchers examined 38 different mineral waters and found microplastic particles in every mineral water.₄₅
• Human stool samples were also examined. On average, 20 microplastics were found per 10 grams of stool.₄₆

Helpful studies with statistics on plastic waste

Here you will find an overview of the most important and informative studies that have been carried out in Germany and globally on the plastic waste problem:

• The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics, ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION.
• The New Plastics Economy Rethinking the future of plastics, WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM.
• MARINE PLASTIC DEBRIS AND MICROPLASTICS - Global lessons and research to inspire action and guide policy change, UNEP, 2016.
• A EUROPEAN STRATEGY FOR PLASTICS IN A CIRCULAR ECONOMY, European Commission.
• SINGLE-USE PLASTICS - A Roadmap for Sustainability, UNEP, 2018.
• PLASTIKATLAS 2019 - Facts and figures about a world full of plastic, Heinrich Böll Foundation and German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation, 2nd edition, July 2019.
• Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic, Lebreton, L., Slat, B., Ferrari, F.. et al.
• Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made, Science Advances, July 2017.
• SEAS AT RISK - for the protection and restoration of the marine environment, June 2017.

Notice: Take a look at the studies to find out even more detailed statistics, facts and figures about plastic waste. If you know of any other studies on plastic waste, please write a comment below this post.

Plastic waste figures & forecasts for the future

We keep hearing about scientific predictions as a result of our plastic mania. Here I have recorded the estimates, which should of course be treated with caution, but are by no means unrealistic:

• Researchers estimate that a further 34 billion tons of plastic will be produced by 2050.₄₇
• If plastic consumption continues at the current rate, we will have more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050. In this forecast, however, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation assumes that the fish population in 2050 will be as large as it is today. Due to human Overfishing the oceans is the time when more plastic than fish will be swimming in the sea, so it can be expected even earlier.₄₈ See also Statistics on overfishing in the oceans.
• By 2050, at least 99 percent of all seabirds will have plastic in their stomachs.₄₉
• If plastic production continues unabated, plastics alone will have generated around 56 gigatons of CO2 emissions by 2050. This means that plastics would account for between 10 and 13 percent of the remaining CO2 budget for the 1.5 degree target.₅₀
• By 2050, the production of plastic could already require 20 percent of global oil production.₅₁

Conclusion on the plastic waste figures 2018/2019

Plastic has advantages - and Plastic has disadvantages. The plastic waste statistics, figures, data and facts from various studies reveal that We are facing an incredibly big task, both in Germany and, of course, globally: We have to change our behavior and learn to deal with plastic in such a way that no living creature on this planet suffers as a result. This is because plastic has become one of the biggest environmental problems of our time developed. Learn in the article about a possible plastic free lifehow you can easily avoid plastic waste in your everyday life.

If we do nothing, we will only continue to saw at the branch we are sitting on. The plastic waste that we dispose of in the environment ends up back on our plates. It's time to rethink. By informing yourself and others about important figures on plastic waste, you are already on the right track.

Stay clean,

If you use plastic waste statistics from this post, please cite the following source. Thank you for your support!

https://www.careelite.de/plastik-muell-fakten/

References:
₁ BUND (2019): Plastic Atlas 2019 - Facts and figures about a world full of plastic, 2nd edition, July 2019, p.13.

₂ BUND (2019): Plastic Atlas 2019 - Facts and figures about a world full of plastic, 2nd edition, July 2019, p.33.

₃ Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU): The BMU clarifies the topic of plastic recycling (26.11.2018). https://www.bmu.de/meldung/das-bmu-klaert-auf-zum-thema-plastikrecycling. [23.10.2019].

₄ Federal Environment Agency (2019): Plastic bags (as of: 12.06.2019). https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/umwelttipps-fuer-den-alltag/haushalt-wohnen/plastiktueten. [23.10.2019].

₅ Deutsche Umwelthilfe (2019): 3,700 plastic bags per minute: Deutsche Umwelthilfe supports development minister Gerd Müller's call for a ban (as of 17.05.2019). https://www.duh.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/pressemitteilung/3700-plastiktueten-pro-minute-deutsche-umwelthilfe-unterstuetzt-verbotsforderung-von-entwicklungsmin. [23.10.2019].

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₉ Seas at Risk (2017): for the protection and restoration of the marine environment (as at June 2017). Brussels, p.4.

₁₀ Seas at Risk (2017): for the protection and restoration of the marine environment (as at June 2017). Brussels, p.7.

₁₁,₁₅,₁₉ BUND (2019): Plastic Atlas 2019 - Facts and figures about a world full of plastic, 2nd edition, July 2019, p.15.

₁₂ BUND (2019): Plastic Atlas 2019 - Facts and figures about a world full of plastic, 2nd edition, July 2019, p.11.

₁₃ BUND (2019): Plastic Atlas 2019 - Facts and figures about a world full of plastic, 2nd edition, July 2019, p.8.

₁₆ The Guardian (2016): From oil use to ocean pollution: five facts about the plastics industry. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/jan/20/from-oil-use-to-ocean-pollution-five-facts-about-the-plastics-industry. [22.10.2019].

₁₇ UNEP (2018): SINGLE-USE PLASTICS - A Roadmap for Sustainability, https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/25496/singleUsePlastic_sustainability.pdf, p.4.

₁₈ European Commission (2018): A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy. P. 6. https://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/pdf/plastics-strategy-brochure.pdf. [22.10.2019].

₂₀ BUND (2019): Plastic Atlas 2019 - Facts and figures about a world full of plastic, 2nd edition, July 2019, p.9.

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₂₃,₂₅ BUND (2019): Plastic Atlas 2019 - Facts and figures about a world full of plastic, 2nd edition, July 2019, p.39.

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₃₀ Ellen MacArthur Foundation: The New Plastics Economy - Rethinking the Future of Plastics & Catalysing Action, January 2016, p.32.

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₃₅ BUND (2019): Plastic Atlas 2019 - Facts and figures about a world full of plastic, 2nd edition, July 2019, p.28.

₃₆,₃₇,₃₈,₃₉ The Ocean Cleanup (2018): The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Explained. YouTube, 22.03.2018, Web, 22.10.2019 at 14:10, in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EyaTqezSzs.

₄₀ Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - GFZ German Research Centre: Microplastics could start at the base of the food chain. https://www.eskp.de/schadstoffe/mikroplastik-koennte-an-der-basis-der-nahrungskette-ansetzen. [22.10.2019].

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₄₈ Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln: Will there really soon be more plastic than fish in the sea? (as of 13.03.2019). https://www.quarks.de/umwelt/muell/plastikmuell-mehr-plastik-als-fisch-im-meer. [23.10.2019].

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₅₀ BUND (2019): Plastic Atlas 2019 - Facts and figures about a world full of plastic, 2nd edition, July 2019, p.9.

₅₁ The Guardian (2016): From oil use to ocean pollution: five facts about the plastics industry. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/jan/20/from-oil-use-to-ocean-pollution-five-facts-about-the-plastics-industry. [22.10.2019].

₅₂ Bayerischer Rundfunk: Fischfang verursacht jährlich 640.000 Tonnen Plastikmüll im Meer (Stand: 07.11.2019), https://t1p.de/b9nv. [23.04.2021].

₅₃ Lebreton, L., Slat, B., Ferrari, F. et al. Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic. Sci Rep 8, 4666 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-22939-w.