- Americans purchase about 50 billion water bottles per year, averaging about 13 bottles per month for every person in the U.S.

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-It is estimated that 4 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide annually. Only 1% of plastic bags are returned for recycling.

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-In 2016, world plastics production totaled around 335 million metric tons.

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-Around 32% of the 78 million tons of plastic packaging produced annually is left to flow into our oceans. By 2050, this could mean there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans.

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-It takes plastic a very long time to breakdown in the ocean. Even then, it continues to break up into smaller and smaller fragments. Pieces from a one-liter bottle can eventually end up on every mile of beach on every continent.

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-In 2015, 77,920 tons of packaging containers were produced. the recycling rate of generated packaging and containers was 53 percent. The combustion of containers and packaging was 7.2 million tons and landfills received 29.4 million tons in 2015.

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- Generation of these glass containers was 9.1 million tons in 2015. The estimated amount of glass containers recycled in 2015 was three million tons. About 13.2 percent of the glass containers and packaging waste generated was combusted with energy recovery, while the remainder was landfilled.

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- The generation of steel food cans and other cans and other steel packaging totaled 2.2 million tons in 2015. the recycling of steel packaging in 2015 as 1.6 million tons, or 73 percent of generation.

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Sources: 

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-Earth Day Network

               

-Arcadia Power

               

-United States Environmental Protection Agency

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