Vital Waste Graphics
WASTE FROM CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
How big is your pile? Imagine a truck delivering to your house each morning all the materials you use in a day, except food and fuel. Piled at the front door are the wood in your newspaper, the chemicals in your shampoo, and the plastic in your grocery bags. A day’s portion of the metal in your appliances and car, plus your daily fraction of shared materials, such as the stone and gravel in your office walls and in the streets you stroll. At the base of the pile are materials you never see, including the nitrogen and potash used to grow your food, and the earth and rock under which your metals and minerals were once buried. Worldwatch Institute, Washington DC. “ „
Raw material demand trends The global consumption of key raw materials is rising fast. Over the 20-year period ending in 1994, the world population increased by 40% – in that same period, the world consump- tion of cement increased by 77%, and plastics by just under 200%… Among raw materials used for construction, only crude steel registered a growth rate that was significantly lower (only 3% from 1974 to 1994) than the rate of population increase. (University of Minnesota, 1999).
Million tonnes Raw materials consumption in the United States
3 500
Recession
Construction materials Industrial minerals Metals Non renewable organics Agricultural and forestry products
Oil crisis
3 000
Selected raw material consumption in United States and Western Europe
2 500
Kg per person per year
2 000
400
World War II
1 500
350
Great depression
World War I
1 000
300
250
500
222 Kg
200
0
1995
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980
150
Source: USGS
129 Kg
100
Material use
Billion tonnes
50
12
15 Kg
3 Kg
0
Recession
World
Steel
Aluminium Plastics
Cement
10
Oil Crisis
Western Europe
United States
World average
8
6
Source : University of Minnesota.
United States
4
Raw material consumption facts A small minority of rich countries are responsible for a large part of the raw material consumption. All together the developed countries comprise only 22% of the world population, but they consume more than 60% of the industrial raw materials.
2
Source: USGS
0
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
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