Here's How Much Plastic Humanity Has Produced

We've produced enough plastics now by weight to equal 25,000 Empire State Buildings, 80 million whales or a billion elephants.

D-brief
By Nathaniel Scharping
Jul 20, 2017 12:37 AMDec 20, 2019 9:23 PM
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A landfill in Strambino, Italy. (Credit: MikeDotta/Shutterstock)

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I want to say just one word to you. Just one word. Are you listening? Plastics.

There was indeed a great future in plastics back in 1967 when "The Graduate" came out, and those words ring true even today as plastic production continues to soar. Try imagining toothbrushes, dashboards, pens, video game controllers, the ephemera of our daily lives, made from wood or metal — plastics are indispensable.

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