Humans have produced over 8.3 billion MT of plastic and it is not going anywhere

Since the early 1950s, humans produced plastics weighing 8.3 billion metric tonnes and most of it ends up in landfills or in the environment.

If you think the earth is choking with plastic, you are absolutely right. New research shows that humans have produced 8.3 billion metric tonnes of plastic since its mass production began in the early 1950s. Imagine a billion elephants, that’s how much this amount of plastic weighs.

Plasticwaste lying everywhere is a problem for humans and animals alike in India. (.(Raj K Raj/HT Photo))

A large portion of this plastic, almost 80%, ends up in landfills and in the environment, according to the study, published in Science Advances. The pace of plastic production has accelerated in recent years, and at this rate there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic waste in the world.