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NC DEQ »   About »   Divisions »   Environmental Assistance and Customer Service »   Recycling »   General Recycling Information »   Special Recyclables »   Plastic Bottles »   Stats

Plastic Bottle Recycling Statistics

Every 17.3 seconds, North Carolinians throw away enough plastic bottles to reach the height of the Bank of America Building in Charlotte.

Every 1.3 minutes, North Carolinians throw away enough plastic bottles to reach the distance of the first Wright Brothers’ flight.

Every week, North Carolinians throw away enough plastic bottles to line the Outer Banks 28 times.

Every 75 minutes, North Carolinians throw away enough plastic bottles to equal the weight of a Fort Bragg F16 fighter plane.
In the time it takes you to brush your teeth (2 minutes), North Carolinians send 4,657 plastic drink bottles to a landfill.
In the times it takes you to watch the Super Bowl (3.5 hours), North Carolinians send 978,092 plastic drink bottles to a landfill.
Every 3.9 seconds, North Carolinians throw away enough plastic bottles to reach the height of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
North Carolinians throw away more than $41,411,600 in plastic each year.
Every 1.7 hours, North Carolinians throw away enough plastic bottles to equal the weight of a school bus.
Producing new plastic from recycled material uses only two-thirds of the energy required to manufacture it from raw materials.
In a year, North Carolinians throw away enough plastic bottles to line the Blue Ridge Pkwy 642 times.
In a year, North Carolinians throw away enough plastic bottles to line the length of I-40 (in N.C.) 715 times.
Every hour, North Carolinians throw away enough plastic bottles to line the length of Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte 22.9 times.
 

 

Download more Plastic Bottle Stats or Calculate your own stats.

 

Plastic Bottles

  • Plastic Bottle Recycling Toolkit
  • Case Studies
  • All Bottle BMPs
  • Stats
  • Additional Plastic Bottle Resources

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https://deq.nc.gov/conservation/recycling/plastic-bottles/stats