3 Methods for Creating Ingenious Products From Recycled Plastic Plastic waste is a global catastrophe. The most recent data estimates that up to 12 million metric tons of plastic enter our oceans every year. And only about 10 percent of plastic worldwide is recycled through conventional channels. While it’s important to begin using less plastic, we still need to find ways to deal with our existing waste. The three companies below have created ground-breaking methods for turning plastic into products.