Plastic Data

Understanding Data Driven Perspectives

When considering all the collective experiences of the Plasticine, it is important that we do not only look at the affective human responses to its negative environmental effects, but consider the grander scale pieces of information, such as statistics, that inform our conception of plastic pollution. Not only does data educate us as to the global scale of the plasticine, taken by itself also provides us with a removed, distant, and observational frame by which decision makers and those with the power to cause large types of change conceptualize and understand our plastic world. Those who hold public office, or the institutional power to respond and make changes in rearguards to the ongoing ecological crisis brought on by plastic proliferation often are not experts themselves. Rather, They get a highly distilled version of the facts through the use of data analyst guidance and statistical information. Additionally, due to their position of power, they are likely to have a less intimate experience with the negative effects of plastic pollution, so these distilled bits of information, along with what they my experience vicariously through the plight of others, are all they may have to understand the Plasticine.

Plastic Production Statistics (19)

The graph shown here shows and integrative time-lapse of how exponentially plastic production has grown since its initiation into the commercial market in the 1950s. with the exception of a small period around the mid 2000s, “Global plastic production has skyrocketed… from two million tons in 1950 to 299 million tons in 2013 with no signs of slackening in this frenetic pace of growth” (20). It is important to recognize that with this exponential growth continuing to occur due to profit driven motives, it is unlikely we will see the end of planetary plastic saturation anytime soon. On the contrary, things only appear to be gaining speed, as "Half of all plastics ever manufactured have been made in the last 15 years" (21). Even with current efforts to utilize more renewable resources, our single-use tendencies will likely drive production to increase by double in 2050.

This data visualization shows the collective tonnes of plastic produced since the material started saturating the consumer market.

With the exception of that which has been immolated or recycled, this accounts for all the plastic that exists, and will continue to exist. This cumulative production, in combination with the exponential growth of worldwide production in general becomes a problem when considering the longevity of plastic. It takes an immense amount of time to break down the material naturally, meaning with the continuous growth in annual production, and lack of effective ways of effectively deconstructing plastic waste, the plasticine and all of its leaching negative effects are here to stay for a much longer period than what many of us will see within our lifetimes. Its growing abundance is getting to such a degree that plastics are "set to outnumber fish by 2050" (22).

Plastic Waste Statistics

When it comes to managing the plastic waste we produce, there are three primary methods. Firstly, and most commonly, through proper waste management infrastructure that if far from sources that could cause leakage or overflow (such as rain or coastlines) plastic waste can be compacted and stored in landfills. Secondly the material can be incinerated, which does break it down but also contributes to releasing toxins and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Given the staggering increase in the production of plastic listed above, this can be a serious problem, as "if plastics production and incineration increase as expected, greenhouse gas emissions will increase to 49 million metric tons by 2030 and 91 million metric tons by 2050" (23). Thus the last option, recycling, would appear to be best method of dealing with our overabundant supply of plastic waste. With recycling we could theoretically try to cap the cumulative total plastic in the world, and affect the production of new plastic by essentially creating a cycle of reusability. However, there are a number of issue with recycling that would cause diminishing returns in regards to mitigating these other trends. Not all types of plastic can be easily recycled, not every bit of plastic can be accounted for with our current infrastructure, and even when we do recycle the process is not nearly as cost or time efficient as creating new plastic. “it's often cheaper for manufacturers to produce virgin material than to buy and use recycled plastic, much of this material is thrown away after use” (24).

As mentioned previously, a large drive for the proliferation of plastic across the world was the single-use consumer economy. From what is shown above, we can see that not only are these single-use packaging polymers the primary type of plastic produced annually, they are also indisputably the leading type of plastic waste produced. To be fair, they are functioning as intended. A relatively safe, sanitary option to preserve a product that will have a quick turn around as it is thrown in the trash for their convivence. "Of the 300 million tonnes of plastics produced annually, about a third is chucked away soon after use" (24). It is almost abhorrent how much of the plastic is produced for the sole purpose of disposal without regards to what happens to it afterwards.

Oceanic Plastic Pollution Statistics

It is the "afterwards" of use for many plastics that results in our plastic waste having unintentional consequences. Where does our trash go when we throw it away? Well, "these objects have destinations far beyond our sidewalks and waste bins," as many of them end up washing away into what is now the largest glorified landfill encompassing our entire planet; the ocean. A "plastic soup," as some have referred to it, has formed as the many arteries of the world have swept away various forms of plastic into the great blue. Of the 8 million tonnes of plastic that finds its way into the sea annually, only a portion of it makes up the surface plastic mass, with the rest breaking apart into microplastics and spreading all throughout various oceanic ecosystems. Even in parts of the sea humans have yet to claim or explore, our plastic pollution has left our signature, as if man has claimed the world by wrapping it in plastic. The scariest part of all this may be that we cannot know for certain how much our waste is effecting the sea. We know how much we have produced, but we don't know exactly where all of it is. All we can be certain of is that “at the present moment, nowhere on Earth can be considered free of plastic” (10)

It is at this point that I would like to reference the imagery from the previous page on plastic in culture. The imaginations the created both these works of art, are informed by a combination of personal human experiences and references to these other forms of knowledge. While some may be more direct commentary on the popular views and tendencies of western cultures, many these artistic responses, distant analytical views, and the omnipresent reality of plastic despite not knowing where it all actually is points to two very important themes for the plasticine that need to be explored: visibility (or rather invisibility) and vulnerability.

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