Humans have generated more than 9 billion metric tons of plastic since 1960 – and most of it still exists
Cumulative global production of plastics, in billions of metric tons. Scholars estimate that roughly 80% of this material has accumulated in landfills or the environment, while some 9% has been recycled and 12% has been incinerated.
An area chart shows cumulative world production of plastic rising from near-zero in 1960 to over 9 billion tons by 2019.
