{"id":65983,"date":"2015-11-09T12:00:06","date_gmt":"2015-11-09T12:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=65983"},"modified":"2015-11-03T13:52:41","modified_gmt":"2015-11-03T13:52:41","slug":"these-five-countries-account-for-60-percent-of-plastic-pollution-in-oceans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2015\/11\/these-five-countries-account-for-60-percent-of-plastic-pollution-in-oceans\/","title":{"rendered":"These Five Countries Account for 60 Percent of Plastic Pollution in Oceans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Roughly 8 million tons of plastic<\/a> is dumped into the world\u2019s oceans every year, and according to a new study, the majority of this waste comes from just five\u00a0countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Plastic<\/a>

Plastic waste and other garbage on Rayong beach, Thailand. Photo credit: relax_gap \/ Shutterstock.com<\/p><\/div>\n

It appears that these five countries are responsible for up to 60 percent of the marine plastic<\/a> entering our oceans<\/a>, according to\u00a0Stemming the Tide<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0a study released last month by the Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment.<\/p>\n

Why are these parts of Asia leaking so much plastic? Well, as the study suggests, these emerging countries are experiencing rapid economic growth, reduced poverty and improved quality of life. This development is, of course, fantastic. However, as these economies grow, so does the consumer use of plastic and\u00a0plastic-intensive goods.<\/p>\n

The caveat of this increased plastic demand is that these countries do not yet have waste-management infrastructures that can tackle the accompanying excess waste.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s projected<\/a> that by 2025, plastic consumption in Asia will increase by an astonishing 80 percent to surpass 200 million tons. And unless steps are taken to manage this waste properly, in ten short years the ocean could contain one ton of plastic for every three tons of fish, \u201can unthinkable outcome,\u201d the study says.<\/p>\n

It makes sense then, as Fast Company<\/em><\/a> observed from the study, that global ocean plastic clean-up efforts should initially be concentrated in these areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpecifically, interventions in these five countries could reduce global plastic-waste leakage by approximately 45 percent over the next ten years,\u201d the report says.<\/p>\n

The study\u2019s authors came up with the five best approaches (out of 21) to address plastic waste, customized for each country: collection services, closing leakage points in collection facilities, gasification (converting waste into fuel) and MRF-recylcing (diverting plastic from the waste stream).<\/p>\n

\"\u201cCoordinated<\/a>

\u201cCoordinated action in just these five countries could significantly reduce the global leakage of plastic waste into the ocean by 2025,\u201d the report says. Photo credit: Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThis study outlines a path that can generate considerable benefits to communities, preserve the bio-productivity of the ocean, and reduce risks for industry,\u201d the report says. \u201cConcerted action in the form of a $5 billion annual ramp-up in waste-management spending could create a vibrant secondary resource market, trigger investment in packaging and recovery systems, and let the ocean thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, extending these interventions to other countries could have even more impact on this global issue,\u201d the report points out.<\/p>\n

Plastic waste in the\u00a0Philippines, for instance, is having \u201cdrastic consequences on the livelihoods and health of the people of Dagupan,\u201d said city mayor Belen Fernandez in a press release<\/a> for the study.<\/p>\n

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New Ocean Conservancy Report Finds Plastics in Ocean at Crisis Level http:\/\/t.co\/SDXAJFN3wZ<\/a> via @fortunemagazine<\/a><\/p>\n

— Defenders of Wildlife (@Defenders) October 14, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n