The world pumps out 57 million tons of plastic pollution every year

The world creates 57 million tons of plastic pollution every year, spreading from the deepest oceans to the highest mountain peaks and into people's bodies, according to a new study. More than two-thirds of it comes from the Global South.

It's enough pollution each year - about 52 million tons - to fill New York City's Central Park with plastic waste as tall as the Empire State Building, according to researchers from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. They examined waste generated locally in more than 50,000 cities and towns around the world for a study in Wednesday's ...