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That's because the US exports plastic waste to other countries. So yes, there is good reason.
by kristiandupont 2y ago
That's because the US exports plastic waste to other countries. So yes, there is good reason.
- munch117 2y agoI was under the impression that Americans landfilled their garbage. I don't doubt that waste export is a thing, but is it really that large a proportion?
- Etheryte 2y agoThe US is the only country in the developed world that hasn't ratified the Basel Convention [0] and the US exports close to a billion tons of plastic waste to other countries per year [1]. The trash you see building up in third world countries is in large part from the United States, not from those countries themselves. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_Convention https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_Convention [1] https://www.invw.org/2022/04/18/rich-countries-are-illegally-exporting-plastic-trash-to-poor-countries-data-suggests/ https://www.invw.org/2022/04/18/rich-countries-are-illegally...
- munch117 2y agoAccording to [2] 35.7 million tons of plastic waste is produced per year, and 0.61 million tons are exported. That leaves 35 million tons, and with only 5% being recycled, there's plenty of plastic left to go into 'rivers, oceans, everywhere'. [2] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-us-recycled-just-5-percent-of-its-plastic-in-2021-180980052/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-us-recycled-ju...