Since 1950, humans have already produced eight billion tons of plastic, and more than half of this goes into the landfills. Unfortunately, only 9% of plastic waste is recycled while the rest ends up in the ocean. Experts estimate that around 4.8 top 12.7 million metric tons of plastic waste pollute the ocean every year, The Street reported.
The plastic pollution report of Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser of Our World in Data stated that most high-income nations contribute more plastic trash per person even though they have well-managed waste systems. The US alone produces over 275,000 tons of plastic trash annually, which pollutes the surrounding rivers and oceans.
A study recently published in Science Advances said that the US and UK residents were the ones who produce the most amount of plastic trash per person in the world. According to Forbes, each American generates about 231 pounds (105 kilograms) of plastic waste every year, while the British come second with 218 pounds (99 kilograms).
Global Plastic Pollution
Despite the recycling efforts, experts estimate that it will increase only to 44% by 2050. The September 2018 Plastic Pollution report said that there are countries that produce more plastics than the others. The report provides data on per-capita plastic waste and the plastic trash that can be found in coastal areas that pose the risk of polluting the rivers and oceans.
Furthermore, the study published in Science Advances suggests that richer nations like South Korea and Germany take the respective third and fourth places in the top ten countries that produce plastic trash per capita.
On the other hand, China ranks number one as the top producer of plastic trash among all nations even though an average Chinese only produces 15 kilograms of trash per person.
The report also sheds light on the 300 million tons of plastic trash produced every year, of which 8.8 million tons of it end up polluting the ocean. The waste in the environment can harm humans, animals, plants in many ways unimaginable.
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US and UK Residents are Top Plastic Trash Producers
The news that the US and the UK residents throw away most plastic was no surprise, said Jennifer Allan, an international relations lecturer at Cardiff University's School of Law and Politics.
According to her, the supermarkets in those two countries awash in plastic as it is difficult to buy anything without using one. She added that media focuses on the plastic consumption of consumers and their choice but often neglects the part of using plastic because it is a cheaper choice both for the companies and the consumers.
Even with the recycling efforts of plastics, Allan notes that only 9% of all the plastic ever created has been recycled. Plastics usually get mixed in recycling collections, and it is difficult to sort them because it takes more time and money. Even the British Plastics Federation admits that this is a problem.
Also, there is little incentive for recycling because it is difficult to recycle and has a low market value. As a result, half of Britain's recyclable waste is exported to other countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, and Turkey. But Malaysia hit back to Western countries that they are not "the garbage dump of the world."
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