2018’s Statistic of the Year Highlights Non-recycled Plastic

Think about this: “If you could monetize all of the plastic garbage around the world, you could buy the NFL, Apple and Microsoft,” Business Insider reports.

According to this year’s Royal Statistical Society’s International Statistic of the Year, the winner is 90.5 percent. That number describes the amount of plastic that has never been recycled. When it came time to make a decision for this year’s statistic, a panel of judges accepted nominations from statisticians and the general public on what they feel is today’s most pressing issue.

Business Insider has more details:

This year, I served on the judging panel for The Royal Statistical Society's International Statistic of the Year.

On Dec. 18, we announced the winner: 90.5%, the amount of plastic that has never been recycled. Okay — but why is that such a big deal?

Much like Oxford English Dictionary's "Word of the Year" competition, the international statistic is meant to capture the zeitgeist of this year. The judging panel accepted nominations from the statistical community and the public at large for a statistic they feel shines a light on today's most pressing issues.

Read the full article here.