Plastic Pollution Crisis: Landfills Overflowing With Plastic Waste

Plastic waste is a huge problem. Of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic that has been produced, 6.3 billion metric tons has become plastic waste, with only 9% of that being recycled. The vast majority of plastic waste ends up in landfills, with an estimated 44 million metric tons of plastic waste in the United States alone. If current trends continue, there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills by 2050.

The market value of landfilled plastic is $4.5 billion to $9.9 billion

The market value of landfilled plastic is estimated to be $4.5 billion to $9.9 billion, or $7.2 billion on average. This is a huge amount of money, and yet it represents a tiny fraction of the total amount of plastic in landfills.

In the United States alone, there are 44 million metric tons of plastic waste in landfills. This is a conservative estimate, as it is based on regional, state, and county data. On a global scale, the numbers are even more staggering. Of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic that has been produced, 6.3 billion metric tons has become plastic waste, with 79% of that accumulating in landfills or the natural environment. If current trends continue, the amount of plastic in landfills is expected to more than double by 2050, reaching 12 billion metric tons.

The vast majority of plastic waste is non-degradable, and much of it ends up in the oceans, causing significant harm to marine life and the environment. Despite some efforts to recycle certain types of plastic, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene, these still represent a significant percentage of plastics found in landfills.

The embodied energy in the waste plastic, or the energy required to manufacture the materials, is also significant. It equates to about 12% of the country's energy consumption by the industrial sector, highlighting the inefficiency and wastefulness of our current plastic production and waste management systems.

79% of plastic waste ends up in landfills

Plastic waste is a huge global problem. Of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic that has been produced, 6.3 billion metric tons has become plastic waste. Of that, only nine per cent has been recycled. The vast majority – 79 per cent – is accumulating in landfills or sloughing off in the natural environment as litter.

In the US alone, there are 44 million metric tons of plastic waste. In countries such as France, Spain and Italy, half of all waste still ends up in landfills.

The market value of landfilled plastic ranges from $4.5 billion to $9.9 billion, or $7.2 billion on average, according to researchers.

If present trends continue, by 2050, there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills. That amount is 35,000 times as heavy as the Empire State Building.

The US has 44 million metric tons of plastic waste

The market value of landfilled plastic in the US is estimated to be between $4.5 billion and $9.9 billion, or $7.2 billion on average. The embodied energy in this waste plastic equates to about 12% of the country's energy consumption by the industrial sector.

Some types of plastic are separated and recycled, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is commonly used to make soda bottles, and high-density polyethylene, which is used for milk jugs and shampoo bottles. However, these still represent a significant percentage of plastics found in landfills.

If present trends continue, the amount of plastic in landfills is expected to more than double by 2050, reaching 12 billion metric tons. This is an enormous quantity and highlights the urgent need for improved plastic waste management and recycling techniques.

60% of all plastic ever made is still on the planet

Mass production of plastics began just six decades ago, but it has accelerated so rapidly that 8.3 billion metric tons have been produced, most of it in disposable products that end up as trash. Of this, 6.3 billion metric tons has become plastic waste, with only nine per cent recycled. The vast majority—79 per cent—is accumulating in landfills or sloughing off in the natural environment as litter.

If current trends in plastic production and waste management continue, the plastic debris housed in landfills and natural environments—currently 4.9 billion metric tons—will more than double by 2050. This means that by 2050, there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills, or 35,000 times as heavy as the Empire State Building.

Around 60 per cent of all the plastics ever made are still on the planet somewhere. None of the mass-produced plastics biodegrade in any meaningful way, but sunlight weakens the materials, causing fragmentation into particles that can reach millimetre or micrometer size.

The market value of landfilled plastic ranges from $4.5 billion to $9.9 billion, or $7.2 billion on average, according to researchers. The embodied energy in the waste plastic—an indicator of how much energy it took to manufacture the materials—equates to about 12 per cent of the country's energy consumption by the industrial sector.

9% of plastic has been recycled

There are 44 million metric tons of plastic waste in the United States alone. Of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic that has been produced globally, 6.3 billion metric tons has become plastic waste. Of that, only 9% has been recycled. The vast majority (79%) is accumulating in landfills or sloughing off in the natural environment as litter.

The market value of landfilled plastic ranges from $4.5 billion to $9.9 billion, or $7.2 billion on average, according to researchers. The embodied energy in the waste plastic—an indicator of how much energy it took to manufacture the materials—equates to about 12% of the country’s energy consumption by the industrial sector.

Some types of plastic are separated and recycled, chiefly polyethylene terephthalate (commonly known as PET), used to make soda bottles; and high-density polyethylene, used for milk jugs and shampoo bottles, but these still represent a significant percentage of plastics found in landfills.

If present trends continue, by 2050, there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills. That amount is 35,000 times as heavy as the Empire State Building.

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