Nature · Facts & sources
6 sourced facts about the environment and eco-friendly living, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
Answer9%
The OECD found the world produces twice as much plastic waste as two decades ago, with most of it landfilled, incinerated or leaking into the environment.
Source: OECD, Global Plastics Outlook (2022) oecd.org
Answer19%
That was 1.05 billion tonnes of food in 2022, on top of an estimated 13% lost earlier in the supply chain.
Source: UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024, via UN News (2024) news.un.org
Answer62 million tonnes (a record)
An estimated $62 billion worth of natural resources, like gold, copper and silver, was thrown away without being reclaimed.
Source: ITU and UNITAR, Global E-waste Monitor 2024 (2024) itu.int
Answer32.1%
Half of the 292.4 million tons of U.S. municipal solid waste went to landfills that year.
Source: U.S. EPA, Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling (2018) epa.gov
Answer22%
Only 42% of countries have e-waste laws; where they exist, collection rates average 25%.
Source: ITU and UNITAR, Global E-waste Monitor 2024 (2024) itu.int
Answer79 kg per person
UNEP says that's equal to 1.3 meals every day for everyone in the world affected by hunger.
Source: UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024, via UN News (2024) news.un.org