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Here’s Where the World’s Plastic Waste Will End Up, by 2050
![Here’s Where the World’s Plastic Waste Will End Up, by 2050](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.voronoiapp.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fvoronoi-Heres-Where-the-Worlds-Plastic-Waste-Will-End-Up-by-2050-20240510130549.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Quick facts on plastic waste:
- Since 1950, plastic production has rapidly outpaced any other synthetic material
- Although recycling efforts have improved over the years, only a fraction of the world’s plastic is currently being recycled
- If trends continue, over 12 billion metric tons of plastic waste will end up in landfills
See the full article at visualcapitalist.com
Dataset
Disposal Method | Metric tons | % of total plastic waste |
---|---|---|
Recycled | 8.53 billion | 25.7% |
Incinerated | 12.39 billion | 37.3% |
Discarded | 12.28 billion | 37.0% |
Total | 33.2 billion |
Data sources
This research relies on global annual pure polymer (resin) production data from 1950 to 2015. Check out the full research paper for more details on methodology
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