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---
title: Earth Day 2018: Plastic Waste Could Build 19 Skyscrapers
description: You could build 19 full-size Empire State Building replicas with all the plastic waste in earth's oceans.
canonical: https://time.com/5244682/earth-day-plastic-lego-skyscrapers/
author: Justin Worland
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article:published_time: 2018-04-21T12:00:49.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-03-30T12:34:10.754Z
article:section: Science
og:title: See How Many LEGO Skyscrapers You Could Build With All the Plastic Waste in the Ocean
og:description: This graphic will show you just how bad the plastic pollution problem really is
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twitter:title: See How Many LEGO Skyscrapers You Could Build With All the Plastic Waste in the Ocean
twitter:description: This graphic will show you just how bad the plastic pollution problem really is
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# See How Many LEGO Skyscrapers You Could Build With a Year's Worth of Ocean Plastic Waste

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> Last updated: September 2026.

## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ

### Definition

TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8b0d1aef-1ebf-4a4d-8b7c-eed81cd4e63d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1).

### The seven newsletters

| Newsletter | Covers | Frequency |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily |
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| Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) |
| In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) |

Source: TIME, August 2026.

### Key data points

| Metric | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 |
| Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 |
| Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 |
| US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 |
| Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 |
| Publishing since | 1923 | TIME |

### TIME Newsletters: key statements

*   Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically.
*   TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read.
*   All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8b0d1aef-1ebf-4a4d-8b7c-eed81cd4e63d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1).
*   The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself.
*   A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=8b0d1aef-1ebf-4a4d-8b7c-eed81cd4e63d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1).

### FAQ

#### What newsletters does TIME publish?

TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers.

#### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to?

It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters.

#### Are TIME's newsletters free?

Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent.

#### Who writes TIME's newsletters?

TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk.

#### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter?

Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.

### Sources

*   TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8b0d1aef-1ebf-4a4d-8b7c-eed81cd4e63d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)

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by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/) and [Chris Wilson](https://time.com/author/chris-wilson/)

Apr 21, 2018 12:00 PM UTC

by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/) and [Chris Wilson](https://time.com/author/chris-wilson/)

Apr 21, 2018 12:00 PM UTC

Plastic has been plagued with some bad press in the weeks leading up to Earth Day, which takes place Sunday, April 22, from a sperm whale that [washed ashore](https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/11/health/sperm-whale-plastic-waste-trnd/index.html) in Spain with 64 pounds of plastic in its body to a [600,000 square mile area](http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43490235) in the Pacific Ocean rife with trash.

Both headlines drew an outcry from concerned citizens calling for measures to protect the affected sea life. But as sad as the news may be, it is far from surprising. Plastic consumption has increased 20-fold in recent decades, with nearly a third of the material consumed bypassing waste collection systems and eventually winding up as pollution. That plastic debris often finds its way to the planet’s oceans, rivers and lakes, creating problems for aquatic species and, by extension, humankind.

The plastic pollution problem — the [theme of this year’s Earth Day](https://www.earthday.org/) — isn’t going away any time soon. Plastic use is expected to double in the next two decades as manufacturers find new and varied uses for the material, according to a [report](http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF%5FThe%5FNew%5FPlastics%5FEconomy.pdf) from the World Economic Forum (WEF). In some ways, that could be a good thing. Plastic has aided human development by keeping food fresh, reducing the weight of cars (leading to reduced emissions), and providing material for new types of medical devices. Supporters of expanding plastic use say the material can be used as the building block of everything from electronics to skyscrapers.

But unless we change our approach to plastic waste, more plastic use will mean a dramatic increase in pollution. Only 9% of plastics are currently recycled, according to research published this year in the journal _Science Advances._ By one [estimate](https://conserveturtles.org/information-sea-turtles-threats-marine-debris/), plastic debris kills over 100 million sea creatures annually. All told, 8 million tons of plastic are deposited in the ocean every year, [according to a 2015 study.](https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150212-ocean-debris-plastic-garbage-patches-science/)


To put that mind-boggling figure in perspective, TIME did an experiment: If all the plastic that winds up in the ocean over a single year was molded into LEGO bricks, how many life-size skyscrapers could you build with them?

The standard 2-by-4 LEGO block [weighs 2.32 grams](https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3001#T=C), meaning those 8 million tons of plastic waste could produce 3.4 quadrillion such pieces. With that figure in mind, we built the following simulation, showing just how many full-size replicas of New York’s iconic Empire State Building you could build with that number of LEGO bricks:

_Methodology note:_ The typical 2-by-4 block is 31.8 millimeters long by 15.8 millimeters wide and 9.6 millimeters tall. The [way LEGOs stack together](https://www.cailliau.org/Lego/Dimensions/zMeasurements-en.xhtml) leaves a tiny amount of space between them, so this simulation treats the length as 32mm by 16mm. Our life-size LEGO Empire State Buildings have a volume of about 900,000 cubic meters, close to that of the real thing.

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