Jambeck Jenna

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Last Name
Jambeck
First Name
Jenna
ORCID
0000-0003-1248-7218

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  • Article
    The United States' contribution of plastic waste to land and ocean
    (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2020-10-30) Law, Kara L. ; Starr, Natalie ; Siegler, Theodore R. ; Jambeck, Jenna ; Mallos, Nicholas J. ; Leonard, George H.
    Plastic waste affects environmental quality and ecosystem health. In 2010, an estimated 5 to 13 million metric tons (Mt) of plastic waste entered the ocean from both developing countries with insufficient solid waste infrastructure and high-income countries with very high waste generation. We demonstrate that, in 2016, the United States generated the largest amount of plastic waste of any country in the world (42.0 Mt). Between 0.14 and 0.41 Mt of this waste was illegally dumped in the United States, and 0.15 to 0.99 Mt was inadequately managed in countries that imported materials collected in the United States for recycling. Accounting for these contributions, the amount of plastic waste generated in the United States estimated to enter the coastal environment in 2016 was up to five times larger than that estimated for 2010, rendering the United States’ contribution among the highest in the world.
  • Article
    Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made
    (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2017-07-19) Geyer, Roland ; Jambeck, Jenna ; Law, Kara L.
    Plastics have outgrown most man-made materials and have long been under environmental scrutiny. However, robust global information, particularly about their end-of-life fate, is lacking. By identifying and synthesizing dispersed data on production, use, and end-of-life management of polymer resins, synthetic fibers, and additives, we present the first global analysis of all mass-produced plastics ever manufactured. We estimate that 8300 million metric tons (Mt) as of virgin plastics have been produced to date. As of 2015, approximately 6300 Mt of plastic waste had been generated, around 9% of which had been recycled, 12% was incinerated, and 79% was accumulated in landfills or the natural environment. If current production and waste management trends continue, roughly 12,000 Mt of plastic waste will be in landfills or in the natural environment by 2050.