72% of Plastic Ends Up in Landfills or the Environment

Plastic waste is a growing problem, with 72% of all plastic produced ending up in landfills or the environment. Only 9% of the plastic ever made has been recycled. Over the past two decades, half of all plastics in existence were produced, and production is expected to grow by about 5% annually. Current solutions like recycling and reuse are insufficient to manage the scale of the issue. The only effective solution appears to be drastic cuts in plastic production. Meanwhile, in other news, the US Department of Defense is developing software to automate the firing of workers, and there’s a noticeable pessimism among American workers about AI, contrasting with Silicon Valley’s enthusiasm.

Source: www.technologyreview.com