The pie charts illustrate the various materials of waste disposed in a country during 1960 and 2011. There were nine types taken into account. They were Paper, Green Waste, Metal, Glass, Plastic, Wood, Food, Textiles, and Others.
When we compare both pie charts, we see one significant difference. The three major categories of 1960 – Paper, Others, and Textiles – that consisted of more than 50% of 1960’s waste, underwent a huge reduction, where overall they comprised just 30% in 2011. Although paper was still amongst the top 3 waste contributors in 2011, the Others category decreased to one-third of its initial percentage of 12%, making it the lowest category in 2011.
Additionally, the food and plastic categories nearly doubled in 2011 and were the highest sources of waste in 2011. The former contributed 21%, and the latter 18%. Some categories, namely Metal, Glass and Green Waste, remained steady in both the years, while the rest either increased or decreased drastically.