The Shocking Truth About Plastic Waste Dumping

The world produces around 350 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, with some reports suggesting the figure is over 380 million tonnes. While it is challenging to determine the exact amount of plastic waste that ends up in the ocean, it is estimated that 0.5% of the world's plastic waste, or between 1 and 2 million tonnes, pollutes our oceans annually. This plastic waste comes from various sources, including rivers and coastlines, with Asia accounting for more than 80% of plastic waste emitted into the ocean. The impact of plastic pollution is felt disproportionately by poorer communities, who may lack access to proper waste management services and bear the health risks associated with plastic pollution.

Around 0.5% of the world's plastic waste ends up in the oceans

The world produces around 350 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. While it’s often images of plastics floating in the open sea that capture our attention, this is probably only a fraction of the plastic that enters the ocean. Around 0.5% of the world’s plastic waste ends up in the oceans, which equates to approximately 1 to 2 million tonnes of plastic entering our oceans each year.

The fate of plastics once they enter the ocean has been something of a puzzle for researchers. While early studies produced larger figures, estimating that ocean plastics could be around 8 million tonnes per year, more recent research estimates that this figure is somewhere between 1 million and 1.7 million tonnes.

The OECD Global Plastics Outlook estimates that 1.7 million tonnes end up in the oceans, while a recent study by Meijier et al. (2021) estimates around 1 million tonnes. Of the 1.7 million tonnes, it is estimated that 1.5 million tonnes remain close to the shoreline. This has been described as the 'missing plastic problem', with various possible explanations put forward. One theory is that our estimates are very inaccurate, while another is that ultraviolet light breaks plastics down very quickly, which could be true given the presence of large amounts of microplastics in deep-sea sediments. A third explanation is that only a fraction of ocean plastics are transported out to sea, with some sinking to the seabed, while most stay very close to the shoreline, where it gets trapped and resurfaced along the coast.

The amount of plastic waste that ends up in the ocean is a global problem, with plastic pollution altering habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems' ability to adapt to climate change and directly affecting millions of people's livelihoods, food production capabilities and social well-being. While rich countries tend to produce the most plastic waste per person, it is the mismanagement of this waste that is critical to tackling the problem of plastic pollution. Mismanagement refers to waste that is not recycled, incinerated, or kept in sealed landfills, and tends to be much higher in low-to-middle-income countries due to poorer waste management infrastructure.

2,000 truckloads of plastic are dumped in the ocean, rivers and lakes daily

The world produces around 350 to 400 million metric tons of plastic waste annually. Every day, 2,000 truckloads of plastic waste are dumped into oceans, rivers, and lakes. This amounts to around 0.5% of the world's plastic waste, or between 1 and 1.7 million tonnes, ending up in the oceans. The rest accumulates in rivers and lakes or is mismanaged on land.

Loji Beach in West Java, for example, is particularly susceptible to plastic pile-ups. Ocean currents carry plastic waste into the bay, where it becomes trapped and washes up on the shore. This has a significant impact on the local fishing industry, with fishermen like Rahmat Hidayat reporting that they are now hauling in fewer fish and more plastic.

To break the cycle, some traditional fishing villages are adopting alternative fishing methods. For instance, some communities are turning to fish farming, where nets are used to isolate the fish from the rest of the sea and reduce their exposure to plastic pollution.

The issue of plastic pollution is not unique to Indonesia. China, the US, and EU nations have been accused of using Southeast Asian countries as dumping grounds for their plastic waste. These countries are already struggling to manage their own plastic waste, with Indonesia, the world's second-biggest producer of plastic waste, facing the challenging task of clearing its extensive coastline of litter.

Despite global efforts to extend the lifespan of plastic products, only 9% of them are recycled. Most plastic waste ends up in landfills or is shipped to other countries, exacerbating the problem of plastic pollution worldwide.

91% of plastic waste is not recycled

The world produces about 350 million tonnes of plastic waste each year. Of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic ever produced, only 9% has been recycled. This means that 91% of plastic waste is not recycled.

The reasons behind the low percentage of plastic recycling are multifaceted. Firstly, not all plastics can be recycled due to their complex chemical compositions. For example, multi-layer packaging is challenging to recycle. Additionally, 25% of plastics are thermoset plastics, which do not soften when heated, making them nearly impossible to recycle. These plastics are often found in products like electrical insulation, ropes, belts, and pipes.

Another factor is the lack of infrastructure for collecting, sorting, and processing plastic waste, particularly in developing countries. This issue is compounded by economic disincentives, making recycling less financially viable than producing new plastic. Companies often opt for virgin plastics due to their lower cost and the absence of strong regulations mandating the use of recycled materials.

The consequences of failing to address the plastic waste crisis are dire. Approximately 14 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans annually, posing severe risks to marine life and human health due to the presence of microplastics in marine ecosystems and food chains.

To address this crisis, systemic change is required, including reducing plastic production, improving waste management infrastructure, and transitioning to a circular economy. CleanHub, an organization tackling the plastic recycling crisis, has outlined several actionable steps. These include investing in waste management infrastructure, implementing economic incentives like subsidies for recycling, and conducting public education campaigns to promote better recycling practices.

Rich countries produce the most plastic waste per person

The world produces around 350 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, with nearly a quarter of this being mismanaged or littered. While the plastic floating in the open sea is what often captures our attention, this is probably only a fraction of the plastic that enters the ocean. Recent research estimates that between 1 million and 1.7 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year, with 1.4 million tonnes coming from rivers and 0.3 million tonnes from coastlines.

A study published in Science Advances found that residents of the US and the UK produce more plastic waste per person than any other nation, with Americans generating an average of 105kg (231lbs) of plastic per year. The British are close behind, throwing away almost 99kg (218lbs) annually. Other countries that feature in the top 10 ranking of plastic waste per capita include South Korea and Germany. Notably, China is the biggest producer of plastic in terms of total quantity, with about 60 million tonnes of plastic waste, yet its per capita consumption is relatively low at 15kg per person.

The high levels of plastic waste in rich countries can be attributed to higher consumption rates and greater access to packaged goods, take-out services, and disposable products, all of which rely on single-use plastics. Additionally, the developed world often exports much of its plastic waste to other countries, such as Malaysia, Vietnam, Turkey, and Indonesia, which are ill-equipped to handle the influx, leading to improper disposal and environmental degradation.

While efforts are being made to reduce plastic waste, such as the implementation of the plastic bag charge and the ban on microbeads in the UK, the significant growth in plastic consumption continues to pose a challenge. As a result, approximately half of the recyclable waste in countries like the UK ends up in landfills or is burned, contributing to environmental pollution.

Most ocean plastic comes from middle-income countries

The world produces about 350 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, with nearly a quarter of this, around 82 million tonnes, mismanaged or littered. This mismanagement means it is not stored in secure landfills, recycled or incinerated. Of this, 19 million tonnes are leaked into the environment, with 13 million tonnes ending up in terrestrial environments, and 6 million tonnes in rivers or on coastlines.

While it is often plastics floating in the open sea that capture our attention, this is probably only a fraction of the plastic that enters the ocean. Most of the plastic waste found in the ocean comes from litter in parks, beaches, or storm drains. This waste is carried into drains, streams, and rivers by wind and rainwater runoff, with rivers then acting as 'plastic superhighways' to the oceans. A large additional chunk of ocean plastic comes from damaged fishing nets or 'ghost nets' that are directly discarded into the high seas.

The amount of plastic waste entering the oceans is still uncertain, with early studies producing larger figures, estimating that ocean plastics could be around 8 million tonnes per year. More recent research, with improved methods, estimates that this figure is somewhere between 1 million and 1.7 million tonnes. The OECD Global Plastics Outlook estimates that 1.7 million tonnes end up in the oceans, while a recent study by Meijier et al. (2021) estimates around 1 million tonnes.

While some might assume that the countries producing or consuming the most plastic are the ones polluting the oceans the most, this is not necessarily the case. Richer countries have been polluting the oceans for longer periods, and if we look at accumulated stocks of plastics in the ocean, higher-income countries across Europe and North America play a larger role than they do today. More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean.

The debate about which countries are responsible for the majority of ocean plastic pollution is ongoing. Some argue that developed countries are responsible for producing more plastic waste per capita, while others suggest that developing nations bear the brunt of the problem due to inadequate waste management infrastructure. According to the World Population Review, the US ranks first in the top 10 countries that generate the most plastic waste, producing 34 billion kilograms annually. India comes in second place with 26.3 billion kilograms, followed by China (21.6 billion kg), Brazil (10.6 billion kg), Indonesia (9.1 billion kg), Russia (8.4 billion kg), Germany (6.6 billion kg), the UK (6.4 billion kg), Mexico (5.9 billion kg), and Japan (4.8 billion kg). While India, China, Brazil, and Indonesia are in the top 10 plastic waste producers and ocean plastic contributors, the rest of the list is made up of high-income Global North countries. Although the population of these developed countries generates high amounts of plastic waste, they have better waste management infrastructure and plastic recycling facilities in their communities than middle-to-low-income nations.

Based on a study by Science Advances in 2021, the Philippines is the leading country on the list of top 10 ocean plastic contributors, generating an estimated 356,371 metric tonnes of plastic waste in our ocean.

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