How many plastic bags are in landfills

Half of all plastic manufactured becomes trash in less than a year, the study found. Much of the growth in plastic production has been the increased use of plastic packaging, which accounts for more than 40 percent of non-fiber plastic. The same team, led by Jambeck, produced the first study that assessed the amount of plastic trash that flows into the oceans annually.

That research, published in , estimated that 8 million metric tons of plastic ends up in the oceans every year. That is the equivalent to five grocery bags of plastic trash for every foot of coastline around the globe. Gaining control of plastic waste is now such a large task that it calls for a comprehensive, global approach, Jambeck says, that involves rethinking plastic chemistry, product design, recycling strategies, and consumer use.

The United States ranks behind Europe 30 percent and China 25 percent in recycling, the study found. Recycling in the U. Or phasing them out. All rights reserved. This article was created in partnership with the National Geographic Society. In December , Great Britain's Royal Statistical Society named the core fact in this story—that only about nine percent of all plastic ever made has likely been recycled— its statistic of the year.

This story was first published on July 19, and updated on December 20, with the news of the Royal Statistical Society's recognition.

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They are most often made from Polyethylene that takes centuries to degrade. Each ton of recycled plastic bags saves the energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil. It takes up to 1, years for a plastic bag to break down.

On average, a plastic shopping bag is used for just 12 minutes. In total, we use million tons of plastic every year. Some 10 percent of this plastic end up in the oceans. An estimated million plastic bags every year end up in the Atlantic Ocean alone. In the ocean, the plastic is broken down into tiny pieces. These pieces are eaten by fish and cannot be digested. Consequently the plastic builds up and enters into the food chain. Seabirds, turtles, seals, sea lions, whales and fish eat the plastics.

The death of one sperm whale found in California USA in was caused by Spread the message. Make a donation. Or update your wardrobe with clothes from our modest but growing selection of sustainably sourced and crafted clothes. Related article: Why are Plastic Bags Bad? Nearly 2 million plastic bags are used around the world every minute. A trillion plastic bags are used around the world each year. Related article: The Best Plastic Alternatives.

It is estimated that there are million metric tons of plastic in our ocean with plastic bags making up most of the plastic trash.

Nearly countries, cities, towns, and counties across the world have banned plastic bags or placed a tax on single-use plastic bags.

If these plastic bag facts are anything to go by, we need to say no to single-use plastic bags. You may want to say that you will start recycling your plastic bags, but plastic bag recycling facts are evidence that people rarely recycle bags. Start using reusable grocery bags as an alternative to plastic bags!

But despite this, , plastic bags are still used every second around the world. We need to use less plastic bags if we want to save our planet.