The volume of plastic packaging in the United States municipal solid waste stream has increased considerably since it first became commercially used more than 50 years ago. One of the most common forms of plastic packaging waste is PET bottles and jars. Between 2000 and 2018, the annual volume of PET bottles and jars waste generated in the U.S. increased by more than 80 percent, from 1.72 million short tons to 3.13 million short tons.
The U.S. generated a total of 14.53 million short tons of plastic packaging waste in 2018.
Plastic containers and packaging MSW generated in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product
(in 1,000 short tons)
Characteristic
PET bottles & jars
HDPE natural bottles
Other containers
Bags, sacks and wraps
Other plastic packaging
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Environmental Protection Agency. (January 23, 2021). Plastic containers and packaging MSW generated in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 short tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 27, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229615/us-plastics-container-packaging-waste-generation-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Plastic containers and packaging MSW generated in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 short tons)." Chart. January 23, 2021. Statista. Accessed July 27, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229615/us-plastics-container-packaging-waste-generation-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2021). Plastic containers and packaging MSW generated in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 short tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 27, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229615/us-plastics-container-packaging-waste-generation-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Plastic Containers and Packaging Msw Generated in The United States from 1960 to 2018, by Product (in 1,000 Short Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 23 Jan 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229615/us-plastics-container-packaging-waste-generation-by-product/
Environmental Protection Agency, Plastic containers and packaging MSW generated in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 short tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229615/us-plastics-container-packaging-waste-generation-by-product/ (last visited July 27, 2024)
Plastic containers and packaging MSW generated in the United States from 1960 to 2018, by product (in 1,000 short tons) [Graph], Environmental Protection Agency, January 23, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1229615/us-plastics-container-packaging-waste-generation-by-product/
