Let's stop Trashing the Earth
Live statistics, articles, and resources on waste, pollution, and the damage we are doing to the planet, one discarded item at a time.
Live counters
Each number is a year-to-date estimate built from a published annual figure. See how we count →
6,831,687 metric tons
Ocean plastic pollution
Estimated plastic entering the world's oceans so far this year.
How this is calculated →22,855,097,893 metric tons CO₂
Global CO₂ emissions
Fossil fuel CO₂ released into the atmosphere so far this year.
How this is calculated →807,381,176 metric tons
Food waste
Food lost or wasted worldwide so far this year.
How this is calculated →38,505,871 metric tons
Electronic waste
Discarded phones, computers, and electronics generated so far this year.
How this is calculated →57,137,745 metric tons
Fast fashion waste
Textile waste dumped globally so far this year.
How this is calculated →489,981,003,600 bottles
Plastic bottles
Plastic bottles purchased globally so far this year.
How this is calculated →34,026 species
Species extinction
Species lost globally so far this year due to human activity.
How this is calculated →9,315,936,643 trees
Trees cut down
Trees felled globally so far this year.
How this is calculated →335,374 hectares
EU land burned by wildfire
Hectares burned by wildfires in the EU so far this year, at the long-term average pace.
How this is calculated →46,579,683 metric tons CO₂e
Ukraine war climate pollution
Greenhouse gases attributable to Russia's war in Ukraine so far this year, at the year-four pace.
How this is calculated →993,699,909 metric tons
Landfill waste generated
Municipal solid waste sent to landfills globally so far this year.
How this is calculated →23,455,572,124 barrels
Oil extracted
Petroleum and other liquid fuels produced globally so far this year.
How this is calculated →2,794,780,993,326 butts
Cigarette butts littered
Discarded cigarette filters thrown into the environment so far this year.
How this is calculated →267,677,913 metric tons
Plastic produced
New plastic manufactured globally so far this year.
How this is calculated →62,106,244,299 garments
Garments produced
New clothing items manufactured worldwide so far this year.
How this is calculated →251,530,289 metric tons CH₄
Human methane emissions
Methane released by human activity so far this year.
How this is calculated →62,106 metric tons
Ghost fishing gear lost
Fishing gear lost or abandoned at sea so far this year.
How this is calculated →Articles & guides
Original explainers on the causes, the myths, and what actually helps.
Help us clean the planet
Donate to fund cleanups, restoration, and waste reduction where the damage is worst.
Best before is not expired
Confusion between use-by and best-before dates sends edible food to landfill. One is a safety deadline. The other is a quality hint.
Europe's wildfires are torching the land
Record burn seasons, toxic smoke, and forests that will take decades to recover.
The climate cost of the Ukraine and Iran wars
Bombing, burning fuel, and toxic rubble leave a carbon and pollution bill that outlasts the fighting.
Microplastics in the food chain
How plastic fragments are turning up in seafood, salt, and drinking water.
Fast fashion's hidden waste
From Chile's Atacama clothing mountain to microfibres in the ocean, the industry's waste is hard to hide.
Plastic recycling myths
Why putting it in the blue bin doesn't mean it gets recycled.
90.5% never recycled
Why one award-winning statistic exposes the limits of plastic recycling.
India's plastic waste problem
What Delhi's waste pickers and plastic-covered riverbanks reveal about disposable packaging.
Where your recycling really goes
The global waste trade, the 2018 China ban, and why 'recycled' can mean 'shipped abroad'.
What actually happens inside a landfill
Mummified food, methane, toxic leachate, and why 'biodegradable' barely helps underground.
The biodegradable plastic myth
Compostable, biodegradable, bio-based: what these labels really mean, and where they fail.
The water hidden in everything you buy
Virtual water: the thousands of litres behind a T-shirt, a burger, and a cup of coffee.
How to spot greenwashing
Vague claims, hidden trade-offs, and labels that sound better than they are.
Air pollution and your health
Why smog, smoke, and indoor air matter as much as carbon on the label.
Corporate accountability for pollution
A handful of industries drive most plastic, emissions, and waste, and most escape the bill.
What you can do about waste
A practical action guide: reduce, refuse, repair, and push for better systems.
Extended producer responsibility
Why the company that makes the mess should pay to clean it up.
The waste hierarchy
Prevention beats recycling: a simple order of priorities for materials and emissions.
The Ugly Truth About Plastic
Nearly every piece of plastic ever made is still here, and much of it is swirling in our oceans.
Resources & further reading
Trusted external organisations, data portals, and policy trackers we recommend.
Our World in Data
Data-driven research on environmental change, emissions, and resource use.
UNEP pollution reports
United Nations Environment Programme research on waste, plastics, and pollution.
Ocean Conservancy
International NGO: coastal cleanups, science, and ocean policy advocacy.
Break Free From Plastic
Global movement of NGOs campaigning to end plastic pollution.
Climate Action Tracker
Independent tracker of government climate pledges, policies, and warming outcomes.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Circular economy research: plastics, textiles, and design for reuse.
Earthjustice
U.S. legal nonprofit: courtroom enforcement against polluters and weak regulation.
The Ocean Cleanup
Engineering projects to intercept plastic in rivers and remove it from the ocean.
IEA Global Methane Tracker
Policy-oriented data on methane from energy, agriculture, and waste.
Surfers Against Sewage
UK charity: beach cleanups, water-quality campaigning, and plastic-free communities.