Of all the plastic discarded so far, some 14% has been incinerated and less than 10% has been recycled. Plastic pollution can be found in all the world's major water bodies, for example, creating garbage patches in all of the world's oceans and contaminating terrestrial ecosystems. Most plastic produced has not been reused, or is incapable of reuse, either being captured in landfills or persisting in the environment as plastic pollution. The success and dominance of plastics starting in the early 20th century has caused widespread environmental problems, due to their slow decomposition rate in natural ecosystems. If global trends on plastic demand continue, it is estimated that by 2050 annual global plastic production will reach over 1.1 billion tonnes. In 2020, 400 million tonnes of plastic were produced.

More than half this plastic has been produced since 2004. ĩ.2 billion tonnes of plastic are estimated to have been made between 19. Most modern plastics are derived from fossil fuel-based chemicals like natural gas or petroleum however, recent industrial methods use variants made from renewable materials, such as corn or cotton derivatives. Plastics typically are made through human industrial systems. This adaptability, plus a wide range of other properties, such as being lightweight, durable, flexible, and inexpensive to produce, has led to its widespread use. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Household items made of various types of plastics

For other uses, see Plastic (disambiguation).

400 million are produced daily