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The United States’ contribution of plastic waste to land and ocean
Summary
Researchers found that the United States generated the largest amount of plastic waste of any country in 2016 at 42 million metric tons, with a significant portion being illegally dumped or exported to countries with poor waste management. The study estimates that between 0.91 and 2.24 million metric tons of U.S. plastic waste ended up in the environment, highlighting the need for improved domestic waste reduction strategies.
Plastic waste affects environmental quality and ecosystem health. In 2010, an estimated 5 to 13 million metric tons (Mt) of plastic waste entered the ocean from both developing countries with insufficient solid waste infrastructure and high-income countries with very high waste generation. We demonstrate that, in 2016, the United States generated the largest amount of plastic waste of any country in the world (42.0 Mt). Between 0.14 and 0.41 Mt of this waste was illegally dumped in the United States, and 0.15 to 0.99 Mt was inadequately managed in countries that imported materials collected in the United States for recycling. Accounting for these contributions, the amount of plastic waste generated in the United States estimated to enter the coastal environment in 2016 was up to five times larger than that estimated for 2010, rendering the United States' contribution among the highest in the world.
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