The Ocean's Daily Plastic Dumping Disaster

The world dumps 2,000 truckloads of plastic into the ocean each day. This plastic waste often forms islands in the sea and washes up on beaches, accumulating in mountains on the shore. The ocean has become the main battle zone for the climate and environmental crisis.

The world dumps 2,000 truckloads of plastic into the ocean each day

The world produces around 400 million metric tons of plastic waste each year. Despite global efforts to give plastic products longer lives, only 9% of them are recycled. Most plastic waste goes into landfills or is shipped to places like Indonesia and other Southeast Asian nations, many of which are already drowning in their own plastic pollution.

Fisherman Rahmat Hidayat says there are fewer fish and more plastic in his hauls. Indonesia is one of several Southeast Asian nations that have tightened their rules for plastic waste imports as they try to prevent becoming plastic dumping grounds for countries like China, the US and EU nations.

The ocean has become the main battle zone for the climate and environmental crisis. The acidification is changing so many things in the world’s oceans.

Only 9% of plastic products are recycled

The world dumps 2,000 truckloads of plastic into the ocean each day. This plastic waste often forms islands in the sea, washes ashore, or accumulates as mountains on beaches. Despite global efforts to give plastic products longer lives, only 9% of them are actually recycled. The remaining 91% of plastic waste is either incinerated or accumulates in landfills and the natural environment as litter.

The low recycling rate of plastic products is concerning, given that plastic production is set to triple globally by 2060. With plastic made primarily from oil or gas, it is a significant contributor to the carbon pollution fuelling climate change. The OECD has proposed developing the market for recycled plastics as one solution to address the issue. However, recycled plastics are currently more expensive, which is a barrier to their wider adoption.

The United States, the world's biggest plastics polluter, only recycled around 5% of over 50 million tons of plastic waste produced by households in 2021. This is in stark contrast to the global figure of 9% recycled plastic waste.

Indonesia and other Southeast Asian nations have tightened their rules for plastic waste imports as they try to prevent becoming plastic dumping grounds for countries like China, the US, and EU nations.

Most plastic waste goes into landfills or is shipped to Southeast Asian nations

The world dumps 2,000 truckloads of plastic into the ocean, rivers and lakes every day. This plastic waste often washes ashore, accumulating on beaches and forming islands in the sea. Despite global efforts to give plastic products longer lives, only 9% of them are actually recycled.

Indonesia has tightened its rules for plastic waste imports

The world dumps 2,000 truckloads of plastic into the ocean each day, with the garbage sometimes forming islands in the sea. Most plastic waste goes into landfills or is shipped to Southeast Asian nations, including Indonesia, which are already drowning in their own plastic pollution.

In 2019, Indonesia joined a number of other Southeast Asian countries in sending back imported trash after a spike in shipments from Western countries following China's ban on imports. Indonesia's plastic recycling industry uses imported plastic scraps in its products, but a shortage of scraps means members of the association could only produce 20%-30% of their normal output and have been forced to send home thousands of workers, more than half of their workforces.

Indonesia has introduced tougher border checks and a registry of trash exporters to combat the surge in imports of plastic waste. In 2019, delegates from 187 countries approved the first-ever global rules on cross-border shipments of plastic waste. No longer could countries export contaminated, mixed, or unrecyclable plastics without the recipient country’s informed consent. It was a landmark step aimed at reducing the flood of wealthy nations’ scrap that had been deluging poorer regions, particularly Southeast Asia, since China closed its doors to such imports the previous year.

The ocean has become the main battle zone for the climate and environmental crisis

The world produces around 400 million metric tons of plastic waste each year. Despite global efforts to give plastic products longer lives, only 9% of them are actually recycled. Most plastic waste goes into landfills or is shipped to countries in Southeast Asia, many of which are already struggling with their own plastic pollution.

The plastics problem is just one aspect of the climate and environmental crisis in the ocean. Rising temperatures and acidification are also causing significant changes to the world's oceans, leading to a high level of marine life death. These issues are often hidden from view, as they are happening underwater.

Fisherman Rahmat Hidayat from Indonesia has noticed a decrease in fish and an increase in plastic in his hauls. Indonesia and other Southeast Asian nations have tightened their rules for plastic waste imports to prevent becoming plastic dumping grounds for countries like China, the US and EU nations.

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