The two charts illustrate the proportion of waste disposed of in one country between 1960 and 2011.
Overall, it is evident that a significant change occurred in the proportion of food and plastic waste, while paper waste decline sharply.
In 1960, the most significant type of waste came from paper waste at 25%, followed by textile and food waste at 17% and 12% respectively. In contrast, wood and glass waste represented the smallest shares at just 40% and 50%.
In 2011, the proportion of waste had shifted significantly. Although paper remained one of the highest, but its shares had decreased by 10 percentage points. On the other hand, plastic waste had a remarkable rise, growing from 8% to 18%, followed by food waste that sharply rise from 12% to 21%.
Comparing both years, the data suggests a shift toward synthetic and manufactured materials such as plastics and textiles, while biodegradable waste types green waste became less dominant.
