An international team of environmental scientists claim that China and Indonesia are the world’s top sources for plastic waste that is dumped into the ocean.
The study, conducted by a team led by University of Georgia environmental engineer Dr. Jenna Jambeck, was based on consumer data and waste-management information on coastal populations worldwide.
According to the study’s findings, people living within 50 kilometers of the coastline in the 192 countries studied generated a total of 275 million metric tons of plastic waste in 2010 of which 4.8 to 12.7 million tons of bottles, bags and other detritus was discarded in the world’s oceans.
The two greatest contributors, China and Indonesia each respectively generated 27.7% and 10% to the world’s total plastic waste found in oceans.
Since the study was published, Indonesian government officials claim they are continuing to work on a 2008 law on waste management to improve the pollution in the oceans within and surrounding the archipelago.
“Waste management is improving, even if a growing population has meant more waste,” said Ilham Malik, the environmental ministry’s deputy minister for hazardous wastes.
Dr. Jambeck warns that if habits are not drastically changed, then the amount of plastic waste deposited into the world’s oceans could reach levels “equal to 10 bags full of plastic per foot of coastline.”
China and Indonesia world’s largest contributors to plastic waste in oceans | Latest News From Bali | The Beat Daily
Pretty sad really
