Plastic Pollution: Earth's Landfills Overflowing With Trash

Plastic pollution is a pressing issue, with landfills and the natural environment being the final destinations for more than three-quarters of non-degradable plastic waste. If current trends continue, the amount of plastic in landfills is projected to more than double by 2050, reaching 12 billion metric tons. This raises concerns about the amount of space required for plastic landfills, which could take up a few thousand square kilometres, or about the size of major cities like London. While this may seem like a small proportion of the Earth's surface, estimated at just 0.01% of the world's land, the impact of plastic waste on the environment is significant and requires urgent attention.

Plastic landfills could take up 0.01% of the world's land

The density of plastic waste at a depth of 150 metres is around 0.52 tonnes per cubic metre. This means that we need a volume of 1.9 m3 to store one tonne of plastic.

If current trends in plastic production and waste management continue, the plastic debris housed in landfills and natural environments will more than double by 2050, from 4.9 billion metric tons to 12 billion metric tons.

Landfills are the final destination for more than three-quarters of non-degradable plastic trash

The area needed for plastic landfill could be just 0.01% of the world's land. However, this would still be the size of a major city, such as London. Sending all of the world's plastic to date to deep-storage landfill would take up a few thousand square kilometres.

The density of plastic waste at a depth of 150 metres is around 0.52 tonnes per cubic metre (m3). This means we need a volume of 1.9 m3 to store one tonne of plastic.

The issue of plastic waste management is a pressing one, with 91% of plastic not being recycled. As Roland Geyer, an industrial ecologist at the University of California Santa Barbara, notes, "we're making enormous quantities of plastic... and we're not very good at plastic waste management".

Plastic landfills would be the size of major cities

If current trends in plastic production and waste management continue, the plastic debris housed in landfills and natural environments will more than double by 2050. Scientists have reported that there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills by then. That's 35,000 times as heavy as the Empire State Building.

Storing the world's plastic waste underground would take a city-sized piece of land.

The density of plastic waste is around 0.52 tonnes per cubic metre

Plastic waste is a growing problem. If current trends continue, there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills by 2050. This is 35,000 times as heavy as the Empire State Building.

However, the area needed for plastic landfill could be just 0.01% of the world's land. While this doesn't sound like much, it's still a city-sized piece of land.

Some of the deepest landfills, such as Puente Hills in the United States, go as deep as 150 metres.

By 2050, there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills

Plastic waste is a growing problem, with 60% of all the plastic ever made still on the planet. Landfills and the natural environment are the final destinations for more than three-quarters of non-degradable plastic trash. If current trends in plastic production and waste management continue, the plastic debris housed in landfills and natural environments will more than double by 2050, reaching 12 billion metric tons.

The area needed for plastic landfill could be just 0.01% of the world’s land, or the size of many major cities, such as London. However, this would still be a city-sized piece of land, and choosing the right location for a landfill is important as nobody wants one in their backyard.

The density of plastic waste is around 0.52 tonnes per cubic metre (m3). This means we need a volume (amount of space) of 1.9 m3 to store one tonne of plastic. Sending all of the world’s plastic to date to deep-storage landfill would take up a few thousand square kilometres.

Roland Geyer, an industrial ecologist at the University of California Santa Barbara and the report’s senior author, said, “We’re making enormous quantities of plastic … and we’re not very good at plastic waste management.”

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