about how many bottles go to landfill each year
Considering that approximately 60 million plastic water bottles are used every day in the US, we can assume that nearly 18,834,000,000 end up in the landfill each year. Each bottle can take up to 700 years to decompose. The landfill issue, however, is not limited to plastic bottles. According to recycleacrossamerica.org, more than 28 billion glass bottles and jars also end up in landfills each year. Comments (3) […] 1  Americans discard about 33.6 million tons of plastic each year. […] 2  Americans discard about 33.6 million tons of plastic each year. […] 3  with 1.5 billion pounds recovered annually in the United States, PET is not biodegradable and is a major presence in landfills. Plastic is going into landfills in enormous amounts. There are many possible long-term solutions to this problem: some people advocate recycling, while others believe that using plastics that can be composted is the only sound environmental solution. Comments (3) […] 1  Americans discard about 33.6 million tons of plastic each year. Only 6.5 percent of it is recycled and 7.7 percent is combusted in waste-to-energy facilities, […] Reply. […] 2  Americans discard about 33.6 million tons of plastic each year. In 2005, that meant approximately 2 million tons of water bottles ended up in U.S. landfills, according to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) (see References 3, Question 7). These ideas are important to pursue, but they do not deal realistically with the immediate problem of waste disposal. Millions of tons of plastic waste are carted off to landfills each year, and remain there for an indefinite period of time. We need to find a solution that deals with this reality as it is today, not how we hope it will be in 10-15 years. Tips for Vendors and Consumers. 1  Try switching to glass bottles! Glass bottles are much easier to clean and will retain their clarity (without leaking toxic chemicals) after hundreds of washings. 2  Offer up water from the Tap! If you’re a vendor in the fast-food industry, try supplying customers with the choice of bottled water or tap water. Plastics made up only 1% of MSW in 1960. This has increased to 12% (30 million tons) in 2008. 43% of this is containers and packaging, 22% is nondurable goods, and 35% is from durable goods. This means that 11.3 million tons of just containers and packaging end up in landfills each year. Most people agree that recycling is a preferred method of dealing with plastics. However, only 24% of municipal waste is recycled and 9% is composted, for a total of only 33% of waste that is recovered. Tips for Vendors and Consumers. 1  Try switching to glass bottles! Glass bottles are much easier to clean and will retain their clarity (without leaking toxic chemicals) after hundreds of washings. They also have no effect on the taste or smell of your drink! Tips for Vendors and Consumers. 1  Try switching to glass bottles! 2  Offer up water from the Tap! 3  BYOB: Bring your own (refillable) bottle with you to work! 4  If you’re a fast food vendor selling plastic bottles, make sure you have adequate recycling facilities located in or near your shop!
Approximately 60 million plastic water bottles are used every day in the US, we can assume that nearly 18,834,000,000 end up in the landfill each year.