Every year, an estimated 17˝ billion plastic bags are given away by supermarkets. This is equivalent to over 290 bags for every person in the UK. (source: www.wastewatch.org.uk (external link))
The world's annual consumption of plastic materials has increased from around 5 million tonnes in the 1950s to nearly 100 million tonnes today. (source www.recyclingconsortium.org.uk (external link))