Who is behind the global surge in single-use plastic? 19 May, 2021 07:00 AM 4 minutes to read Collecting plastic at a landfill on Sulawesi in Indonesia. Half the world's single-use plastic is made by 20 big companies, researchers said. Photo / Getty Images Collecting plastic at a landfill on Sulawesi in Indonesia. Half the world's single-use plastic is made by 20 big companies, researchers said. Photo / Getty Images New York Times By: Michael Corkery and Somini Sengupta A new report shows that a surprisingly small number of big companies and banks are behind the manufacturing and financing of much of the world's single-use plastic. The throwaway plastic that holds our takeout food