U.S. is a Major Contributor to Marine Plastic Pollution

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The research team under the leadership of Kara Lavender Law of Woods Hole's Sea Education Association has determined that the U.S. is one of the world’s largest contributors to ocean plastic pollution. This is based on the data on littering within the country, in addition to the contribution by other countries where it ships plastic scrap, caused by improper handling in those nations.

According to the results published in ‘Science Advances’ journal, the country had produced 42 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2016, more than any other nation. Based on current per-capita estimates, the study estimated that nearly 1-1.25 million tonnes of plastic were improperly disposed of within the country. Only around 9% of the waste plastic gets recycled in the country, it said.

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The country has been a traditional exporter of scrap plastic to other countries, especially to developing nations such as Indonesia and Malaysia. These waste plastics are often handled improperly. As per estimates, the volume of improperly handled scrap plastic exported from the U.S. amounts to approximately 1 million tonnes per year.

The study states that the U.S. is being ranked as the world’s third largest contributor of plastic waste to the coastal environment.

As per latest government data, the U.S. plastic waste exports have plummeted by nearly 70% over the past four years.