The invention of plastic

by Catherine Wilson August 10, 2021

Plastic was invented by Leo Baekeland. No one could have foretold that plastic would be so mishandled that it would account for millions of tonnes of waste accumulating across the world.

Every year around the globe, we accumulate millions of tonnes of plastic waste with less than 12% recycled. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), waste estimates in Australia show that we generate 75.8 million tonne of waste per year and recycle only 38.5 million tonne. BUT only 19% of plastics are recovered with ‘all plastic types’ having the worst recovery rates of around 15%. Of 2.5 tonnes generated, 84% is sent straight to landfill.

Global recycling rates have declined over the last two years and will continue to do so into next year. The 2018 McKinsey report states that it will only take a generation for our plastic waste to rise to an alarming 460 million tons per year.

The report also models a virtuous cycle where plastics can be recycled worldwide - by 2030, 50% of plastics could be reused or recycled.