The line graph illustrates the recycling rates of four materials – paper and cardboard, glass containers, aluminium cans, and plastics – in a particular country from 1982 to 2010.
Overall, paper and cardboard had the highest recycling percentages throughout the period, although their rate experienced fluctuations. In contrast, plastics consistently showed the lowest recycling rate, remaining relatively stable over the years. Aluminium cans, however, recorded the most significant growth in recycling.
In 1982, about 65% of paper and cardboard were recycled, making it the leading category. The figure increased to nearly 80% in 1994 but then gradually declined to around 70% by 2010. Glass containers followed a similar trend: starting at about 50%, dipping slightly in the late 1980s, before climbing steadily to just over 60% in 2010.
By contrast, aluminium cans began with a very low recycling rate of around 5% in 1986 but rose dramatically to nearly 45% by 2010. Plastics showed only minimal growth, starting at close to 2% in 1990 and reaching roughly 8% in 2010, indicating little progress compared with other materials.
In summary, while paper and cardboard remained the most recycled material, aluminium cans demonstrated the strongest upward trend, whereas plastics lagged far behind.