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Plastic consumption, waste generation, and waste management in California 1950-2050
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This record is a data and code file, not a research study. It supports a companion paper examining how policy, specifically California's Senate Bill 54, could affect plastic consumption, waste generation, and waste management in California between 1950 and 2050.
Code repository to accompany Geyer et al., Policy is Essential to Curb Plastic Pollution: The Example of California's Senate Bill 54. In Review
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Dynamic flows and stocks of plastics in the United States and pathways towards zero plastic pollution by 2050
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Researchers modeled the dynamic flows and stocks of plastics in the United States economy from 1950 to 2050, finding that under current trends plastics will continue accumulating in the environment. The analysis identifies pathways such as increased recycling and reduced production that could achieve near-zero plastic pollution by 2050.
100 years of plastic -- using the past to guide the future
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Researchers conducted a global material flow analysis of plastic production and waste from 1950 to 2020, finding that plastic waste generation has consistently outpaced waste management capacity and currently produces approximately 60 million tonnes of mismanaged waste annually, with projections suggesting this could double by 2050 without robust policy interventions.
Current practices of plastic waste management, environmental impacts, and potential alternatives for reducing pollution and improving management
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Researchers analyzed global plastic waste generation, management practices, and environmental impacts, warning that plastic production could exceed 650 million tons by 2050 — a more than 22,000% increase since 1950. The study highlights alternatives such as bioplastics, glass, and bamboo, along with waste-to-energy conversion, as promising paths toward reducing plastic pollution's serious health and environmental harms.
US Modeling
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This is a data repository entry containing publicly compiled datasets used to model policy options for reducing plastic packaging waste and microplastics in the United States, not a standalone research paper.
Plastic consumption and waste generation in China: Pathways toward full chain governance under policy interventions.
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This study used historical data from 68 countries to forecast China's plastic use and waste through 2040. Without new policies, plastic waste could reach about 208 million tonnes a year, but a circular economy approach combining reduction, material substitution and recycling could cut demand by up to 24% and mismanaged waste by nearly 90%.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.