Less than 10% of plastic produced globally comes from recycled materials: Study

Working on a problematic plastic: Megan Fieser

Megan Fieser, the Gabilan Assistant Professor of Chemistry, joined USC in 2018 and established the Fieser Lab the same year. (USC Photo/Gus Ruelas) Share Environment Working on a problematic plastic: Megan Fieser EARTH MONTH: Megan Fieser, the Gabilan Assistant Professor of Chemistry at USC Dornsife, is working to resolve the vexing problem of plastic accumulating in our environment. April 15, 2025 By Greg Hernandez All April, Trojan Family…

Why is less than 10% of the world’s plastic being recycled?

Cutting down on the production of virgin plastics is essential, campaigners say, in the face of such low reuse rates.

World plastic crisis: Awareness and circular economy can save the day

Achieving near-total plastic circularity is not only feasible, it is the most cost-effective and humane path forward in a global economy increasingly shaped by resource constraints and planetary boundaries

A mountain of trash is hidden behind every haystack, liter of milk, bag of carrots, or pocket of potatoes. Mostly plastic, lots of string, toxic packaging.

Community reels after $300 million project is unexpectedly pulled: 'I am personally devastated'

Governmental shake-ups have forced plans for a Pennsylvania recycling plan to be scrapped, Waste Dive reported. What's happening? International Recycling Group announced it will no longer build a planned $300 million plastic and battery recycling plant in Erie. The company had previously been chosen for a $182 million loan from the Department of Energy, but under changes made by the Trump administration, that loan's status is now uncertain. Wast…

Of all the plastic produced in the world, less than 10 percent is made from recycled material. The rest is made from coal and oil.