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Here’s Where the World’s Plastic Waste Will End Up, by 2050

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The World's Plastic Waste

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The Briefing

  • 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

The Future of the World’s Plastic Waste

Plastic use has surged worldwide over the last 50 years. In fact, more than 480 billion plastic water bottles were sold across the globe in 2018—that’s approximately 1 million per minute.

Where does all this plastic go, and how much of it is being recycled? Here’s a look at the end-of-life fate of the world’s plastic.

A Breakdown of Disposal Methods

If current trends in plastic production and waste management continue as they are, here’s where 33 billion metric tons of plastic waste will end up by 2050.

Disposal MethodMetric tons% of total plastic waste
Recycled8.53 billion25.7%
Incinerated12.39 billion37.3%
Discarded12.28 billion37.0%
Total33.2 billion

To clarify, this is a rough cumulative estimate of all the plastic that’s been discarded since 1950. This figure includes both primary and secondary (previously recycled) plastics.

Of the 33.2 billion tons of plastic waste, more than 12 billion metric tons is expected to end up in landfills, or in our natural environment. A large portion of this discarded plastic will find its way into our oceans. In fact, if things remain as they are, plastics are expected to outweigh our ocean’s fish population by 2050.

On the flip side, only about 9 billion metric tons are projected to be recycled—roughly 25.7%.

Recycling Has its Limits

It’s worth noting that plastic recycling is not an infinite loop.

On the contrary, most plastics can only be recycled once or twice before they’re discarded, since polymers in plastic break down during the recycling process.

That’s why many experts stress the importance of reducing and reusing over recycling.

As Beth Porter, author of Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine: Sorting Out the Recycling System said in an interview with the Atlantic, “I don’t want people to think that what they do as an individual doesn’t matter…[but] we won’t recycle our way out of this crisis.”

»Like this? Then you might enjoy this full article, Mapping the Flow of the World’s Plastic Waste

Where does this data come from?

Source: Science Advances: Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made
Details: 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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Datastream

The 10 Longest Range EVs for 2023

This infographic lists 10 of the longest range EVs currently for sale in the U.S. in 2023. The Lucid Air takes first place at 516 miles.

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The Briefing

  • EV models with over 300 miles (480 km) of range are becoming more common in the United States
  • The Lucid Air (Grand Touring trim) has the highest EPA range at 516 miles (830 km)

The 10 Longest Range EVs for 2023

Range anxiety is frequently cited as one of the biggest turnoffs of electric vehicles (EVs).

Even as recent as 2021, the average range of an EV was just 217 miles (349 km), falling significantly short from the average gas car’s range of 413 miles (665 km). Thankfully, as this infographic shows, EVs with over 300 miles of range are becoming more common.

Below are the top 10 EVs for 2023, ranked by their EPA combined driving range. For further context, we’ve also included price. These values are for the specific trim that achieves the stated range. In some cases, more expensive trims are available but have a lower range (e.g. Tesla Plaid).

ModelEPA Combined Driving RangePrice*
Lucid Air516 mi (830 km)$138,000
Tesla Model S405 mi (652 km)$84,990
Hyundai Ioniq 6361 mi (581 km)$45,500
Tesla Model 3358 mi (576 km)$55,990
Mercedes-Benz EQS350 mi (563 km)$104,400
Tesla Model X348 mi (560 km)$94,990
Tesla Model Y330 mi (531 km)$52,990
GMC Hummer EV Pickup329 mi (529 km)$110,295
Rivian R1T328 mi (528 km)$74,800
BMW iX324 mi (521 km)$87,100

*Most recent prices available as of April 2023

Note that the EV market is rapidly evolving, and the data in this table has a limited shelf life. For example, Rivian is releasing a battery option dubbed the “Max pack” which promises up to 400 miles, but is not yet EPA rated.

Where Does This Data Come From?

Source: Car and Driver (range), manufacturer websites (price)

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