Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made
TLDR
By identifying and synthesizing dispersed data on production, use, and end-of-life management of polymer resins, synthetic fibers, and additives, this work presents the first global analysis of all mass-produced plastics ever manufactured.Abstract:
Plastics have outgrown most man-made materials and have long been under environmental scrutiny. However, robust global information, particularly about their end-of-life fate, is lacking. By identifying and synthesizing dispersed data on production, use, and end-of-life management of polymer resins, synthetic fibers, and additives, we present the first global analysis of all mass-produced plastics ever manufactured. We estimate that 8300 million metric tons (Mt) as of virgin plastics have been produced to date. As of 2015, approximately 6300 Mt of plastic waste had been generated, around 9% of which had been recycled, 12% was incinerated, and 79% was accumulated in landfills or the natural environment. If current production and waste management trends continue, roughly 12,000 Mt of plastic waste will be in landfills or in the natural environment by 2050.read more
Citations
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Progress and Perspectives of Electrochemical CO2 Reduction on Copper in Aqueous Electrolyte
Stephanie A. Nitopi,Erlend Bertheussen,Søren Bertelsen Scott,Xinyan Liu,Albert K. Engstfeld,Albert K. Engstfeld,Sebastian Horch,Brian Seger,Ifan E. L. Stephens,Ifan E. L. Stephens,Karen Chan,Karen Chan,Christopher Hahn,Christopher Hahn,Jens K. Nørskov,Jens K. Nørskov,Jens K. Nørskov,Thomas F. Jaramillo,Thomas F. Jaramillo,Ib Chorkendorff +19 more
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TL;DR: Efforts to reverse global trends in freshwater degradation now depend on bridging an immense gap between the aspirations of conservation biologists and the accelerating rate of species endangerment.
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Microplastics in freshwaters and drinking water: Critical review and assessment of data quality.
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TL;DR: The pervasive microplastic contamination as a potential agent of global change in terrestrial systems is introduced, the physical and chemical nature of the respective observed effects are highlighted, and the broad toxicity of nanoplastics derived from plastic breakdown is discussed.
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