Waste and recycling statistics 2025

🚮 How much waste do we create?

• Municipal solid waste generation is predicted to grow to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050. (Source)
• The global cost of waste management could exceed $640 billion a year in 2050. (Source)
• More than 430 million tonnes of virgin plastic are produced each year, with 60% being single-use items. (Source)
• Every year, $2.6 trillion worth of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) material goes unrecovered. (Source)
• By 2050, a circular economy could generate $1 trillion in revenue for Europe alone. (Source)
• Global circularity fell by 21% between 2018 and 2023. Secondary resources now represent just 7.2% of global consumption. (Source)
• Annual mismanaged plastic is set to increase by 86% in 2040. (Source)

🌎 How does waste impact the planet?

• Plastic accounts for 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. (Source)
• Based on current trends, there will be a 63% increase in greenhouse gas emissions from plastic system by 2040. (Source)
• Plastic production will consume 20% of oil and gas by 2050 if current trends persist. (Source)
• There have been more than 1,000 “huge” leaks of the potent greenhouse gas methane from landfill waste dumps since 2019. (Source)
• Pollution, resource shortages and biodiversity loss all rank among the top ten global risks in the UN’s 2025 Risks Report. (Source)
• “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” is now three times the area of France. (Source)

📦 How does packaging impact sustainability and revenue?

• An estimated one third of all plastic packaging ends up in the environment, and more than half is landfilled or incinerated. (Source)
• Innovative packaging increases revenue by 12.8% for two thirds of products. (Source)
• Sustainable packaging design improvements drive more revenue than visual or functional changes. (Source)
• Compared to single-use plastics, returnable plastic packaging reduces water use by up 70%. (Source)
• 46% of survey respondents expect brands to take the lead on making sustainable design changes. (Source)
• The global packaging industry is projected to be valued at $1.05 trillion by 2024, with an annual growth rate of 2.8%. (Source)
  

♻️ How does a circular economy drive sustainable growth?

• Recyclables save over 700 million tonnes of CO2 emissions every year — a number that’s set to increase to 1 billion tonnes by 2030. (Source)
• A global circular economy could result in a net profit of $108.5 billion per year, with revenue outstripping projected waste management costs. (Source)
• More stable and profitable recycling could result in 20% less plastic pollution. A further 60% could be cut with recyclable design guidelines, reuse strategies, and production limits. (Source)
• Treating all plastic waste domestically instead of exporting it would reduce its emissions potential by 8.9 million CO2eq. (Source)
• A global circular economy will allow us to fulfil our consumption needs with only 70% of the materials we now extract and use. (Source)
• In 2023, there was more venture investment in climate tech than fintech for the first time. (Source)