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Most wealthy nations export a large chunk of their plastic and other waste to poorer countries. The conclusion that article came to is very strange.
by okwubodu 4y ago
Most wealthy nations export a large chunk of their plastic and other waste to poorer countries. The conclusion that article came to is very strange.
- tastysandwich 4y agoThat's interesting. This article takes a further look at the issue. https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-waste-trade https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-waste-trade I estimate that a few percent – possibly up to 5% – of the world’s ocean plastics could come from rich countries exporting their waste overseas. That could bring the total up to 10%: 5% directly from rivers in these regions, plus a further 5% from trade. And The world generates around 350 million tonnes of plastic waste per year. That means that around 2% of waste is traded. The remaining 98% is handled domestically. It’s sent to a landfill, recycled, or incinerated in the country where the waste was generated. The idea that most of the world’s plastic waste is shipped overseas is incorrect. One reason why this figure is so low is that it’s mostly recycled waste that’s traded, and only 20% of the world’s plastic is recycled. Over the last decade, we’ve seen a large decline in the amount of plastic waste traded. Rates have fallen by two-thirds since 2010. So I suppose you can say some of that waste is ours, but the majority doesn't seem to be.