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More than half of the plastic waste in the sea comes from China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Of course, China is the world’s highest producer of plastics, but most are not used domestically. According to World Bank 2016 data on garbage dumping, US plastic waste emissions are higher than any other country in the world, according to an analysis of the NGO Ocean Conservancy. At 42 million tons per year, plastic waste per population is also the highest in the world.
Moreover, more than 1.5 million tons of plastic waste flows into the sea, and plastic waste weighing 60 pieces of the Statue of Liberty is scattered from the United States to the world’s oceans every year. The research team found that the United States, which accounts for only 4% of the world’s population, dumps 17% of the world’s plastic waste.
Looking at 1.5 million tons of marine plastic waste produced in the United States, dumping is 840,000 tons, illegal dumping is 410,000 tons, and the rest is recycled. The recycling rate in the United States is 9%, and up to 1 million tons of plastic waste are exported overseas. The destination is mainly Asian countries. Since 2018, China has stopped importing plastic waste, so it is now decreasing, but by this time more than half of plastic waste has been sent to Asia.
More than 25% of exported waste plastics could not be recycled due to severe stains or deterioration. Even if they tried to recycle it anyway, the host country had no foundation, so it was often thrown away in the sea and mountains.
In fact, past investigations have targeted only legal waste disposal and illegal dumping in the United States such as landfills, incineration facilities, and recycling centers. In the 2015 survey, the United States was the 20th largest plastic waste distributing country in the world and was not included in the top 10. However, this is simply because exports were not calculated. When calculating both exports and domestic speculation, the United States is the world’s third largest marine plastic waste distributing country. It is said that if all discarded plastic bags and straws are piled up, the width of the White House garden and the height of the Empire State Building will be.
Experts say that while companies and governments in developed countries have been victims of Asian countries for several years, the investigation revealed that the United States pours out plastic waste more than any other country. Pointed out. Related information can be found here .
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