The Price We Pay
Our love of “disposables” has come at a huge cost.
Production of single-use products are depleting precious resources,
burning fossil fuel and causing pollution.
The waste they then create are overflowing in landfills, clogging our
waterways, choking our oceans, killing wildlife, and poisoning our
food and water supply.
Production of single-use products are depleting precious resources, burning fossil fuel and causing pollution.
The waste they then create are overflowing in landfills, clogging our waterways, choking our oceans, killing wildlife, and poisoning our food and water supply.
The Scale Is Mind-Boggling
Single-use Cups
The world uses around 750 billion single-use cups (paper, foam and plastic) each year, including 260 billion paper cups.
99.75% of all disposable cups are not recycled. Even paper cups can take more than 20 years to decompose in landfills, where they produce heat-trapping methane gas.
Single-use Bottles
Worldwide, we consume more than 400 billion liters of bottled water and 600 billion liters of soft drinks each year, using around 650 billion plastic bottles.
Every minute, around 1.2 million plastic bottles are discarded worldwide and each year, 16 million tons of plastic waste flow into the oceans.
More than 90% of all plastic bottles are not recycled.
The Costs
Are Devastating
Producing 1
paper cup requires:
-
0.95 liters
of fresh water -
4.1 grams
of petroleum -
1.8 grams
of chemicals -
40 grams
of wood -
113 grams of
carbon dioxide -
6.8 grams
of waste -
0.09 m2 of
habitat destruction
Producing 260 billion
paper cups uses:
-
246,000,000,000
liters of fresh water -
1,066,000 tons
of petroleum -
468,000 tons
of chemicals -
10,400,000 tons
of wood -
29,465,000 tons
of carbon dioxide -
1,767,000 tons
of waste -
97,500,000 trees &
23,400 km2 of
habitat destruction
Producing 1 paper cup
requires:
-
0.95 liters of fresh water
-
4.1 grams of petroleum
-
1.8 grams of chemicals
-
40 grams of wood
-
113 grams of carbon dioxide
-
6.8 grams of waste
-
0.09 m2 of natural habitat
destruction
Producing 260 billion
paper cups uses:
-
246,000,000,000 liters of fresh water
-
1,066,000 tons of petroleum
-
468,000 tons of chemicals
-
10,400,000 tons of wood
-
29,465,000 tons of carbon dioxide
-
1,767,000 tons of waste
-
97,500,000 trees and
23,400 km2 of habitat destruction
The Impacts
Are Alarming
Producing 1 plastic
bottle requires:
-
1.5 liters
of fresh water -
133 grams
of petroleum -
24 grams
of plastic -
140 grams of
carbon dioxide -
21 grams
of waste
Producing 650 billion
plastic bottles uses:
-
975,000,000,000
liters of fresh water -
86,593,000 tons
of petroleum -
15,330,000 tons
of plastic -
90,700,000 tons
of carbon dioxide -
13,950,000 tons
of waste
Producing 1 plastic bottle
requires:
-
1.5 liters of fresh water
-
133 grams of petroleum
-
24 grams of plastic
-
140 grams of carbon dioxide
-
21 grams of waste
Producing 650 billion
plastic bottles uses:
-
975,000,000,000 liters of fresh water
-
86,593,000 tons of petroleum
-
15,330,000 tons of plastic
-
90,700,000 tons of carbon dioxide
-
13,950,000 tons of waste
Recycling Is Not The Solution
50 years of recycling campaigns and more than 90% of all single-use cups and bottles still end up in landfills, incinerators, rivers and oceans. Why?
The polyethylene lining of paper cups make them nearly impossible to recycle.
Plastic bottles are made from various polymers; caps and labels also need to be separated to be recyclable.
There are more than 260 types of plastic polymers that are difficult to separate.
Unless properly separated, it affects their properties and leads to defects in the recycled materials.
Trash separation is still not universal and waste companies have no financial incentives.
Many local governments do not have the budget or incentive to build the infrastructure.
Companies focus on their core businesses and profitability.
Most lack the expertise, resources, or incentive to substantively or comprehensively address the issue.
Sending waste to landfills or incinerators is cheaper and more convenient.
Producing new paper and plastic cups and bottles from virgin material is easier and cheaper.
Recycling requires large amounts of energy and water, reducing carbon impact by only 10%.
Plastic bottles are mostly “down-cycled” into lower-grade plastics, not into new bottles.
The Root of The Problem
Despite the failure of recycling, significant resources are still being spent searching for new (recyclable or biodegradable) materials.
Extraction of raw materials, followed by production and transportation of single-use products, have significant environmental costs.
In a world of diminishing resources, why make more “stuff” that we will throw away within minutes?
Why create more waste that we have proven to not be able to properly recycle?
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