The Hard-Hitting Numbers Of Global Plastic Waste

Marine life is facing "irreparable damage" from the millions of tons of plastic waste. BBC's infographics give hard-hitting numbers and facts about this waste.

Although plastics, as we know, entered our lives only several decades ago, the total volume of all plastic ever produced is at 8.3bn tons. 

Of this, some 6.3bn tons are now waste – and 79 percent of that is in a landfill or the natural environment.

Drinks bottles are one of the most common types of plastic waste. Some 480bn plastic bottles were sold globally in 2016 – that's a million bottles per minute.

Of these, 110bn were produced by Coca-Cola.

About 10m tons of plastic currently end up in the oceans each year.

China and several other Asian nations are the worst offenders: Out of 192 coastal countries contributing to ocean plastic waste, 13 of the 20 biggest contributors were Asian nations.

The researchers in various institutions drew attention to the fact that most of this waste was generated through single-usage items such as drink bottles, nappies, cutlery and cotton buds.