This statistic shows the volume of waste generated by General Motors worldwide from 2010 to 2018. Waste generated by the American company amounted to 225 kilograms per vehicle in 2018.

China produced **** percent of global municipal solid waste (MSW) generation in 2018. However, when taking population into account the United States creates the most waste. The U.S. represents just **** percent of the global population but was responsible for ***** percent of global waste generation. This was the same share that was generated by India, a country with a population of more than *********** people. Food waste The most common type of waste is food and green waste, making up almost half of globally generated MSW. Every year Americans produce approximately ** billion kilograms of food waste, equating to almost *** kilograms of food waste per capita. Still, this is less than the amount of food waste produced by the average Australian, which stands at more than *** kilograms per year. Environmental impacts The immense volume of waste produced around the world every year has become an increasing cause of environmental pollution. There are many forms of waste pollution, such as methane emissions from food waste that has been landfilled, and toxic chemical leaks from e-waste. But it is plastic waste that has been in the public eye in recent years due to its devastating impact on marine life.

Global waste generation is expected to continue increasing around the world over the coming decades. In 2016, the total waste generation in East Asia and the Pacific amounted to *** million metric tons. Projections show that by 2050, waste generation in this region will increase to *** million metric tons. Per capita waste generation In 2018, Americans produced the most municipal solid waste per capita in the world, with **** kilograms per person. Municipal solid waste (MSW) consists of everyday items that are thrown away, such as food, packaging, and paper. However, MSW doesn’t include special waste. The special waste category comprises of industrial, medical, electronic waste, hazardous, and agricultural waste. Estimates show that when these waste streams are taken into account, Canada has the largest annual waste per capita worldwide. Waste management Whilst developed nations such as the United States are large producers of garbage, they have the waste treatment infrastructure in place to sufficiently manage it. Waste in North America is mostly landfilled and recycled. However, waste is poorly managed in less developed regions. In South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, huge quantities of waste are disposed of in open dumps. Unlike MSW landfills, open dumping is illegal because it can cause devastating environmental pollution.

United States US: Municipal Waste Generated: Kg per Capita data was reported at 810.850 kg in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 749.730 kg for 2017. United States US: Municipal Waste Generated: Kg per Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 752.980 kg from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2018, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 810.850 kg in 2018 and a record low of 725.380 kg in 2009. United States US: Municipal Waste Generated: Kg per Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.OECD.GGI: Environmental: Waste Management: OECD Member: Annual.

United States Municipal Waste Generated per Capita data was reported at 811.486 kg in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 749.639 kg for 2017. United States Municipal Waste Generated per Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 751.245 kg from Dec 1975 (Median) to 2018, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 811.486 kg in 2018 and a record low of 538.087 kg in 1975. United States Municipal Waste Generated per Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.OECD.ESG: Environmental: Municipal Waste Generation: OECD Member: Annual.

In 2018, approximately ***** million metric tons of plastic waste was generated worldwide. Of this total, just **** percent was recycled. Instead, the majority of plastic waste generated globally is either discarded at landfills or incinerated. The main source of plastic waste generation is packaging, followed by textiles.

United States Municipal Waste Treated data was reported at 265,224.500 Tonne th in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 243,724.000 Tonne th for 2017. United States Municipal Waste Treated data is updated yearly, averaging 223,054.560 Tonne th from Dec 1980 (Median) to 2018, with 30 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 265,224.500 Tonne th in 2018 and a record low of 137,565.000 Tonne th in 1980. United States Municipal Waste Treated data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.OECD.ESG: Environmental: Municipal Waste Treatment: OECD Member: Annual.

United States US: Municipal Waste Disposed to Landfills: % of Treated Waste data was reported at 49.980 % in 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 52.290 % for 2017. United States US: Municipal Waste Disposed to Landfills: % of Treated Waste data is updated yearly, averaging 56.080 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2018, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 68.690 % in 1990 and a record low of 49.980 % in 2018. United States US: Municipal Waste Disposed to Landfills: % of Treated Waste data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.OECD.GGI: Environmental: Waste Management: OECD Member: Annual.

Here we provide a per-country results summary spreadsheet and high resolution global maps of total and mismanaged plastic waste generation as presented in Lebreton and Andrady (2019, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-018-0212-7). LebretonAndrady2019_SummaryDatasheet.xlsxSummary results for the 188 countries investigated in the study. The file contains three tabs for lower, midpoint and higher estimate for plastic waste generation as well as an additional tab for per-country waste statistics and population + GDP forecast used by the predictive model. The highlighted cells in the Country Statistics tab are model predicted values where data was not available.LebretonAndrady2019_TotalPlasticWaste.tifTotal municipal plastic waste generation in kg.y-1 in 2015, computed on a global 30 by 30 arc seconds resolution grid.LebretonAndrady2019_MismanagedPlasticWaste.tifMismanaged Plastic Waste (MPW) generation in kg.y-1 in 2015, computed on a global 30 by 30 arc seconds resolution grid.Updated: -fixed negative waste generation values-removed rounding issues from .tiff file compression

This statistic shows the share of food that is wasted globally, both the share that is perceived by the consumer and the actual value. In 2018, the average household in the United States estimated that they wasted ** percent of purchased food but actually wasted ** percent of their food items.

United States US: Municipal Waste Recycled or Composted: % of Treated Waste data was reported at 32.150 % in 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 34.980 % for 2017. United States US: Municipal Waste Recycled or Composted: % of Treated Waste data is updated yearly, averaging 30.920 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2018, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 34.980 % in 2017 and a record low of 15.960 % in 1990. United States US: Municipal Waste Recycled or Composted: % of Treated Waste data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.OECD.GGI: Environmental: Waste Management: OECD Member: Annual.

The United States and Canada were two of the highest per capita generators of municipal solid waste in the world, throwing out about **** kilograms and **** kilograms per day, respectively. Municipal solid waste is defined as the everyday objects thrown out by the public. Globally, humans generate a wide variety of waste types, including plastic waste, food waste, and electronic waste. In terms of e-scrap, the United Kingdom is one of the largest per capita generators in the world, reaching **** kilograms per inhabitant in 2017. Perception of waste Globally, there is a lack of consistency in the way country populations perceive plastic waste and the level of concern they have about waste in the environment. Consumers are also generally divided in the opinion of who should be the most responsible in reducing waste worldwide, whether it be the companies producing and/or selling packaged goods, the government, the consumers, or some combination of all entities. Waste is prevalent in all global economies and the harm that it places on the environment and human health, if not properly disposed of, must be considered in future regulations and policies to allow for sustainable waste management.

France Municipal Waste Generated: By Type: Household and Similar Waste data was reported at 30,321.000 Tonne th in 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 30,268.000 Tonne th for 2017. France Municipal Waste Generated: By Type: Household and Similar Waste data is updated yearly, averaging 30,449.000 Tonne th from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2018, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 32,684.000 Tonne th in 2002 and a record low of 28,253.000 Tonne th in 1995. France Municipal Waste Generated: By Type: Household and Similar Waste data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.OECD.ESG: Environmental: Municipal Waste Generation: OECD Member: Annual.

In 2018, packaging accounted for ** percent of global plastic waste generation. This was considerably higher than any other sector, with textiles making up the second highest share with approximately ** percent. Although very useful, plastic products, such as packaging, pose a number of environmental threats. Due to poor infrastructure and a lack of recycling options, products often end up in landfill sites, or oceans, causing significant environmental pollution.

Hungary Municipal Waste Generated: By Type: Household and Similar Waste data was reported at 3,537.000 Tonne th in 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3,585.000 Tonne th for 2017. Hungary Municipal Waste Generated: By Type: Household and Similar Waste data is updated yearly, averaging 3,753.000 Tonne th from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2018, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,447.000 Tonne th in 2006 and a record low of 3,537.000 Tonne th in 2018. Hungary Municipal Waste Generated: By Type: Household and Similar Waste data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hungary – Table HU.OECD.ESG: Environmental: Municipal Waste Generation: OECD Member: Annual.

The United States is by far the largest producer of municipal waste in the world, generating over 200 million metric tons, as of the latest data available. In contrast, municipal waste generation in the UK stood at around 29 million tons in 2022. Types of municipal waste Municipal waste consists of various everyday items, such as uneaten food, household appliances, clothing, and plastic packaging. The fastest growing waste stream is electronic waste, especially in developing nations. The volume of e-waste generated worldwide reached 62 million metric tons in 2022, and is expected to continue growing. What happens to municipal solid waste? Once collected by the appointed company, waste is then transported to sites to be either landfilled, recycled, composted, or recovered. Although recycling rates have been improving, landfilling is still the most common form of waste disposal and treatment worldwide. As waste generation continues to grow around the globe, many landfill sites have grown to astronomical sizes. One of the largest landfills in the world is Sudokwon, in South Korea, which dumps around 20,000 tons of waste a day.

This statistic depicts the distribution of disposal destinations for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in 2018, broken down by select countries. In that year, around 27.7 percent of the PET bottles were recycled in the United States.

United States US: Municipal Waste Incinerated: % of Treated Waste data was reported at 11.820 % in 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.740 % for 2017. United States US: Municipal Waste Incinerated: % of Treated Waste data is updated yearly, averaging 13.020 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2018, with 29 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.710 % in 1996 and a record low of 11.680 % in 2010. United States US: Municipal Waste Incinerated: % of Treated Waste data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.OECD.GGI: Environmental: Waste Management: OECD Member: Annual.

The generation of municipal solid waste in the United States has increased significantly over the past 60 years. In 1960, the North American country produced approximately 88 million tons of MSW, and by 2018 that figure had more than tripled, amounting to 292 million tons. What is municipal solid waste? Municipal solid waste (MSW) is residue consisting of everyday items such as paper and paperboard, food, metals, glass, wood, and plastics. Of the largest municipal solid waste producers worldwide the United States ranks first. Solid waste generation per capita in the U.S amounts to approximately 4.9 pounds per day, which is almost twice the volume generated per capita in 1960. Hazardous waste In 2018, more than 146 million tons of U.S. MSW ended up in landfill sites. This includes electronic products such as TVs and phones, which are categorized as e-waste. E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the world and an increasing environmental problem. E-waste can cause hazardous environmental pollution, as certain products contain toxic substances that can contaminate the surrounding air, soil, and water. As of 2024, there were more than 1,300 hazardous waste sites in the U.S., with New Jersey concentrating the largest number of sites.

Sweden Municipal Waste Generated: By Type: Household and Similar Waste data was reported at 2,776.710 Tonne th in 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2,844.000 Tonne th for 2017. Sweden Municipal Waste Generated: By Type: Household and Similar Waste data is updated yearly, averaging 2,755.780 Tonne th from Dec 2006 (Median) to 2018, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3,074.160 Tonne th in 2006 and a record low of 2,447.670 Tonne th in 2013. Sweden Municipal Waste Generated: By Type: Household and Similar Waste data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.OECD.ESG: Environmental: Municipal Waste Generation: OECD Member: Annual.