How Much Waste Does a Person Produce in Their Lifetime?

In this video, we explore how much waste an average person produces in their lifetime. We cover everything from diapers to bodily fluids and waste products.

Diapers

• The average disposable diaper-wearing child will go through between 6,500 and 10,000 nappies.

• Disposable diapers represent around 30% of all non-biodegradable waste.

• Even biodegradable diapers will not degrade at the bottom of landfills in the absence of sunlight and air.

• The amount of parents who opt for reusable cloth diapers is less than 5%.

Bodily Fluids

Urine

• The average person produces roughly 133 gallons (605 litres) of urine every year.

• This works out to a lifetime total of 9,500 gallons (43,000 litres), equivalent to around 120 bathtubs.

Feces

• The average person excretes around 360 pounds (163.293 kilograms) of feces every year.

• This works out to a lifetime total of 25,700 pounds (11700.1 kilograms).

Tears, Saliva, and Sweat

• Collectively, the average person produces around 172 gallons / 782 litres of tears, saliva and sweat every year.

• This is about enough to fill roughly 820 beer kegs.

Hair and Nails

Nails

• Over the course of our lifetimes, the average person produces 107.1 inches (272.034 centimetres) per nail.

• The average person grows roughly 178 feet and 6 inches (54 metres and 40 centimetres) of nails in their lifetime.

Hair

• Over the course of their lifetime, the average non-bald human grows a head of hair measuring roughly 35 feet and 8 inches (10 metres and 88 centimetres) in length.

• That's equivalent to over 676 miles (1088 kilometres), which is well over three times as long as the river Thames, or two and half times the Grand Canyon.

Human Waste and Greenhouse Gases

This section discusses the amount of carbon dioxide and gases that humans produce, as well as how it contributes to greenhouse gases.

Carbon Dioxide Production

• Humans exhale around 500 liters of CO₂ every day.

• Over a lifetime, each person produces around 14.3 million liters or 31.5 tons of carbon dioxide.

• Humans collectively produce over 3 million tons of CO₂ each year, which is roughly 8% of global annual C02 emissions from burning fossil fuels.

Natural Cycle vs Artificial Waste

• Biological waste products such as carbon dioxide are part of a larger natural cycle and do not necessarily cause extra damage to the environment.

• In contrast, artificial waste created by humans can cause significant problems for the environment.

Solid Waste Generation

This section discusses the amount of solid waste generated by humans and how it has increased over time.

Global Solid Waste Generation

• The global population generates at least 3.5 million tons of solid waste per day, which is ten times more than people did a century ago.

• We are far more wasteful than our comparatively frugal ancestors despite only having four times as many people alive today compared to a century ago.

Age Differences in Recycling Habits

• People aged between 16 and 34 recycle less than older age groups with only 49% recycling as much as they can.

• Millennials are less likely to "always recycle" than any other age group.

Food Waste

• Young people aged between 18 and 24 are significantly more likely to waste food compared to older people, which has been blamed on the transitory nature of young adulthood.

The Impact of Paper and Electronic Waste

This section discusses the impact of paper and electronic waste on the environment.

Paper Waste

• Americans throw away 63 pounds (28.5 kilograms) of newspapers and magazines every year, which is equivalent to the weight of 90 human hearts.

• The "paperless society" never came to pass, with paper consumption increasing since the 1980s. Currently, only 1% of offices are truly paperless.

• Worldwide production of e-waste could exceed 50 million tons in 2020 alone, which is equivalent to 150 Empire State Buildings just in TVs, laptops, toasters, microwaves and the like in a single year!

• Biodegradable matter like food waste produces incredible amounts of methane as it all rots away. Food waste is responsible for as much as 11 percent of greenhouse gas emissions that come from the production of food.

Food Waste

• Following paper, food waste constitutes the second most common thing that ends up in landfills.

• It is estimated that we waste more than 30% of all the food produced across the globe, enough to feed every undernourished person on earth.

• Americans waste as much as 150,000 tons of food every single day - equivalent in weight to five and half Statue of Liberties.

• On an individual level, this works out to about a pound of food waste per person per day.

Plastic Waste

• Plastic bottles can take around 450 years to degrade while other plastic products can last as long as 1,000 years in a landfill.

• An average person living in a Western country works their way through as much as 220 pounds (or 100 kilograms) of plastic each year, equivalent to throwing away 6500 compact discs, DVDs or Blu-rays.

• The United States is the world’s biggest per capita producer of waste; in total, as a country the US produces roughly half the amount of trash compared to that of India and China, despite having a population roughly nine times smaller.

The Problem of Waste

This section discusses the issue of waste and its impact on the environment.

Enormous Amounts of Waste

• There is an enormous amount of waste generated by humans.

• This waste accumulates in landfills or at the bottom of the ocean.

• Only a small amount of waste is recycled or breaks down quickly.

Impact on the Environment

• The accumulation of waste has a negative impact on the environment.

• Landfills release harmful gases into the atmosphere.

• Trash in the ocean harms marine life and ecosystems.

Call to Action

• It is important for individuals to take action to reduce their own waste.

• Governments and corporations also need to take responsibility for reducing waste.