Key Takeaways
- Only 9% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled
- India generates 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually
- By 2050, oceans could contain more plastic by weight than fish
Global Scale
- Over 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually worldwide
- Only 9% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled. 12% incinerated. 79% in landfills or the environment.
- 8-10 million tonnes of plastic enter the oceans every year
- There are approximately 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean
- By 2050, the ocean could contain more plastic by weight than fish
- Plastic production has doubled since 2000 and is projected to triple by 2060
India-Specific Numbers
- India generates approximately 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste per year
- Per capita plastic consumption in India: ~11 kg/year (global average: ~50 kg/year)
- India banned identified single-use plastics in July 2022 (plates, cups, straws, cutlery, polystyrene)
- India's plastic waste recycling rate: approximately 30% (higher than global average due to informal recyclers)
- The informal recycling sector in India employs an estimated 4 million waste pickers
Microplastics
- Microplastics have been found in human blood, lungs, and placenta
- The average person ingests approximately 5 grams of microplastics per week — roughly the weight of a credit card
- Synthetic clothing releases 700,000 microplastic fibres per washing machine cycle
- Microplastics have been found in 94% of tap water samples in the United States
- Bottled water contains 22x more microplastics per litre than tap water on average
Economic Impact
- Plastic pollution costs the global economy $100-150 billion annually in environmental damage
- Marine plastic pollution costs tourism, fishing, and aquaculture industries $13 billion per year
- The cost of not acting on plastic pollution is 10x higher than prevention and recycling investment
What Is Being Done
- 127 countries have enacted some form of legislation to regulate plastic bags
- The UN Global Plastics Treaty is in negotiation, targeting legally binding reduction targets
- India's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules mandate that producers manage the plastic waste from their products
- Innovations: edible packaging, mushroom-based alternatives, and enzyme-based plastic recycling are scaling