Where is plastic waste most common?

The US and UK produce more plastic waste per person than any other major countries, according to new research. The analysis also shows the US produces the most plastic waste in total and that its citizens may rank as high as third in the world in contributing to plastic pollution in the oceans.

What is the biggest source of plastic waste?

China contributes the highest share of mismanaged plastic waste with around 28 percent of the global total, followed by 10 percent in Indonesia, 6 percent for both the Philippines and Vietnam.

What is the most consumed plastic?

As of 2018, almost 50 percent of the plastics consumed worldwide belonged to the polyolefins group. Within this group, polypropylene and low-density polyethylene were the plastic types with the largest share of consumption globally.

What are the types of plastic waste?

The Different Types of Plastics We Use

• PET or Polyethylene Terephthalate. Drinks bottles and perishable food packaging contain this form of plastic.
• HDPE or High-Density Polyethylene.
• PVC or Polyvinyl Chloride.
• LDPE or Low-Density Polyethylene.
• PP or Polypropylene.
• PS or Polystyrene.
• Other Plastics.

What is the number one cause of plastic pollution?

Most of the plastic that pollutes our oceans comes from land – in fact it is estimated that 80\% of ocean plastic pollution originates here, flowing into the oceans through sewers and rivers, being blown towards the sea by the wind or simply being discarded directly on the beach.

What plastic is actually recycled?

A recent Greenpeace report found that some PET (#1) and HDPE (#2) plastic bottles are the only types of plastic that are truly recyclable in the U.S. today; and yet only 29 percent of PET bottles are collected for recycling, and of this, only 21 percent of the bottles are actually made into recycled materials due to …

Which plastics are most easily recycled?

HDPE is the most commonly recycled plastic and is usually deemed safe for food contact by the FDA. Because of its internal structure, HDPE is much stronger than PET, and can be reused safely. It can also be used for items that will be stored or used outdoors, because it does well in both high and freezing temperatures.

How much plastic waste is in the World 2020?

Globally to date, there is about 8.3 billion tons of plastic in the world – some 6.3 billion tons of that is trash. Imagine 55 million jumbo jets and that’s how much plastic exists here.

What are the easiest types of plastic to recycle?

Recycling Different Plastics Recycling by the Numbers. PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) The easiest and most common plastics to recycle are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and are assigned the number 1. HDPE (High-density polyethylene plastics) Number 2 is reserved for high-density polyethylene plastics (HDPE).

Which types of plastic are recyclable?

There are seven different types of plastic identified by the American Society of Plastics Industry: 1 PET or PETE (Polyethylene terephthalate): PET is one of the most frequently recycled plastics by consumers. 2 HDPE (High-density polyethylene ): This type of recyclable plastic, marked with a “2” and “HDPE” is also frequently recycled by consumers.

What are the seven types of plastics?

The seven types of plastic include: Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET) High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Low-Density Polyethylene ( LDPE ) Polypropylene (PP) Polystyrene or Styrofoam (PS) Miscellaneous plastics (includes: polycarbonate , polylactide, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene, styrene , fiberglass, and nylon)

What are some of the different types of plastic?

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE or PET) Introduced by J. Rex Whinfield and James T. Dickson in 1940, this plastic is one of the most commonly used on the planet. Interestingly enough, it took another 30 years before it was used for crystal-clear beverage bottles, such as the ones produced by Coca-Cola and Pepsi. PETE plastics…