Australia’s Plastic Emissions Equals Amount Produced by 5.7 Million Cars Annually

A tractor drives through a giant pile of plastic bottles at the San Francisco Recycling Center April 22, 2008. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The amount of plastics Australians generate in one year produces as much greenhouse gas as 5.7 million cars on the roads annually, which is more than one-third of emissions yielded annually by the country’s car fleet.

In a new study, the Australian Marine Conservation Society and WWF-Australia found that if Australia continues on its current path, the country’s plastic emissions will more than double to 42.5 million tonnes annually by 2050.