The year the first fully synthetic, or lab-made, plastic was invented. It was called Bakelite.
Numbers in the News: Plastic Waste
This Earth Day, let’s look at facts and figures about one of the fastest-growing forms of pollution: plastic.
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1907
1.6 POUNDS
The estimated amount of plastic waste generated daily by each person on the planet.
1950s
The decade in which plastics started being widely produced. Since then, factories have created 9.9 billion tons of plastic.
9%
The percentage of global plastic waste that gets recycled. The rest ends up in landfills, burned, or littering the environment.
143.3 MILLION TONS
The amount of plastic that enters the environment each year. This is expected to double by 2040—equal to dumping a garbage truck of plastic every second!
12
The number of U.S. states that have banned the sale of disposable plastic bags. Studies show these laws effectively reduce plastic bag litter on shorelines.
TAKE IT FURTHER: Watch “The Plastic Problem.” What fact from the video most surprised you?
SOURCES: OUR WORLD IN DATA, THE PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS, SCIENCE (2025)
videos
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Skills Sheets
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Skills Sheets
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