5 Asian countries produce majority of plastic in world's oceans

[webfact]

5 Asian countries produce majority of plastic in world’s oceans
by Graham Land

IN the Pacific Ocean, about midway between the west coast of North America and Asia, lies a concentration of mostly plastic waste roughly twice the size of the US state of Texas.

Known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, this area is formed by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, an enormous whirlpool of oceanic currents caused by the Coriolis effect, the phenomenon that makes water swirl. Oceanic gyres, like the Garbage Patch, gather debris both visible and microscopic.

How plastic waste is poisoning our oceans

Some 80 percent of oceanic plastic originates on land, entering via rivers and wind, with the rest coming from ships and oil rigs. Once in the water, the plastic that doesn’t wash up on the world’s beaches or end up in the stomachs of animals, such as sea turtles or sea birds, eventually breaks down.

Full story: http://asiancorrespondent.com/2015/11/5-asian-countries-produce-majority-of-plastic-in-worlds-oceans/

-- ASIAN CORRESPONDENT 2015-11-06

[inzman]

This is one instance that Thailand is number one in. They always want to be number one. Now they win.

[craigt3365]

This is one instance that Thailand is number one in. They always want to be number one. Now they win.

I think they said China is #1???

[JetsetBkk]

I suppose public rubbish bins are out of the question as they'd be stolen and reprocessed into saleable products.

[jobin]

Anytime humans are involved, China wins the race. Same here by miles. China first in sea junk at 5,000,000,000, then Indonesia at 2b, PI, Viet, SriLanka, T'land all next at under 1b.

[godden]

was it ever in doubt

[Berkshire]

This is one instance that Thailand is number one in. They always want to be number one. Now they win.

I think they said China is #1???

Yeap...as far as China and pollution is concerned, just add this one to the list.

[BuaBS]

So what if there is some plastic in the ocean ? The Fukushima pollution is much much worse , but invisible and not even mentioned anymore.

[tuanku]

levels should have gone down appreciably since the one day a month plastic bag ban

[kaptainrob]

This is one instance that Thailand is number one in. They always want to be number one. Now they win.

Wrong, Thailand dumps very little plastic waste in the sea.

Indonesia is by far the worst culprit although somehow China gets top billing in this article.

[elgordo38]

Anytime humans are involved, China wins the race. Same here by miles. China first in sea junk at 5,000,000,000, then Indonesia at 2b, PI, Viet, SriLanka, T'land all next at under 1b.

Gee they have to cut corners somewhere to produce all that cheap crap they sell to the rest of the world. You know the story on cheap crap it breaks down all the time and has to be replaced. Its constantly being dumped in the oceans of the world. So much for all these free trade agreements that were supposed to make countries like China clean up their act and treat their workers fairly. Sea life has dropped by 50% in the last 45 years. by 2050 it will be a wet wasteland. Thankfully I will be blowing in the wind.

[GOLDBUGGY]

Believe me, if you opened a Plastic Recycle Plant and paid decent coin for people to bring in plastic containers, you would have people walking the beach and roads looking for this stuff. But it is just not in many governments interest to financially support such things.

China also has the records of owning 7 of the top 10 worst polluted rivers in the world, so I wouldn't expect much help from them. .

[Berkshire]

This is one instance that Thailand is number one in. They always want to be number one. Now they win.

Wrong, Thailand dumps very little plastic waste in the sea.

Indonesia is by far the worst culprit although somehow China gets top billing in this article.

Clearly, inzman doesn't know what he's talking about. Which is normal.

[wabothai]

May be a hole in the market for some Thai fisherman to collect all the plastic and sell it for recycling.

Thai plastics are generally burnt and get in the atmosphere that way, no recycling possible.

[Mudcrab]

Anytime humans are involved, China wins the race. Same here by miles. China first in sea junk at 5,000,000,000, then Indonesia at 2b, PI, Viet, SriLanka, T'land all next at under 1b.

Gee they have to cut corners somewhere to produce all that cheap crap they sell to the rest of the world. You know the story on cheap crap it breaks down all the time and has to be replaced. Its constantly being dumped in the oceans of the world. So much for all these free trade agreements that were supposed to make countries like China clean up their act and treat their workers fairly. Sea life has dropped by 50% in the last 45 years. by 2050 it will be a wet wasteland. Thankfully I will be blowing in the wind.

And doing your bit to add to pollution post mortem.

[Mudcrab]

Darn Asians inventing all this plastic stuff....oh...hang on...they didn't.

The West had been producing this stuff for decades before the Asians got in on the act.

[Emster23]

Darn Asians inventing all this plastic stuff....oh...hang on...they didn't.

The West had been producing this stuff for decades before the Asians got in on the act.

Weak argument. USA dumps equal to that consumer paradise North Korea. It's about taking care of the trash and recycling, which anyone who lives here can easily see isn't happening. Also on a per capita basis, Thailand leaves China in the dust.

[Mudcrab]

Darn Asians inventing all this plastic stuff....oh...hang on...they didn't.

The West had been producing this stuff for decades before the Asians got in on the act.

Weak argument. USA dumps equal to that consumer paradise North Korea. It's about taking care of the trash and recycling, which anyone who lives here can easily see isn't happening. Also on a per capita basis, Thailand leaves China in the dust.

Who's arguing? Merely stating an opinion.

The per capita comparison is just nonsense. It's the overall figure that counts in the big picture.

If a small country of say 100 people dump 10 kilos of trash each and a country of 100 million dump 1 kilo each...who is the bigger contributor to the overall figure?

Your premise is often fraudulently used by the green brethren to condemn and bully the smallest polluters.

Thankfully most thinking people can see through the nonsense.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Mudcrab

[whaleboneman]

This is one instance that Thailand is number one in. They always want to be number one. Now they win.

Wrong, Thailand dumps very little plastic waste in the sea.

Indonesia is by far the worst culprit although somehow China gets top billing in this article.

You're not a snorkler are you?

[kimamey]

Have they taken the population levels into account?

[kimamey]

Darn Asians inventing all this plastic stuff....oh...hang on...they didn't.

The West had been producing this stuff for decades before the Asians got in on the act.

Weak argument. USA dumps equal to that consumer paradise North Korea. It's about taking care of the trash and recycling, which anyone who lives here can easily see isn't happening. Also on a per capita basis, Thailand leaves China in the dust.

Who's arguing? Merely stating an opinion.

The per capita comparison is just nonsense. It's the overall figure that counts in the big picture.

If a small country of say 100 people dump 10 kilos of trash each and a country of 100 million dump 1 kilo each...who is the bigger contributor to the overall figure?

Your premise is often fraudulently used by the green brethren to condemn and bully the smallest polluters.

Thankfully most thinking people can see through the nonsense.

Since the report is about a comparison of the plastic waste from different countries then the per capita rate isn't nonsense at all. China is obviously the largest contributor but you need to take into account the relevent populations to see the big picture. Having said the per capita comparison is just nonsense you then give a per capita comparison which just proves why it's necessary.

I'm clearly a thinking person as I can see through your nonsense.

[Emster23]

Darn Asians inventing all this plastic stuff....oh...hang on...they didn't.

The West had been producing this stuff for decades before the Asians got in on the act.

Weak argument. USA dumps equal to that consumer paradise North Korea. It's about taking care of the trash and recycling, which anyone who lives here can easily see isn't happening. Also on a per capita basis, Thailand leaves China in the dust.

Who's arguing? Merely stating an opinion.

The per capita comparison is just nonsense. It's the overall figure that counts in the big picture.

If a small country of say 100 people dump 10 kilos of trash each and a country of 100 million dump 1 kilo each...who is the bigger contributor to the overall figure?

Your premise is often fraudulently used by the green brethren to condemn and bully the smallest polluters.

Thankfully most thinking people can see through the nonsense.

Since the report is about a comparison of the plastic waste from different countries then the per capita rate isn't nonsense at all. China is obviously the largest contributor but you need to take into account the relevent populations to see the big picture. Having said the per capita comparison is just nonsense you then give a per capita comparison which just proves why it's necessary.

I'm clearly a thinking person as I can see through your nonsense.

Doing a rough estimate from chart, looks like Thais dump about 9.8 pounds per person, and USA about 1/3 of a pound. If providing facts is "bullying", so be it. Number could be worse if Thais took the effort to pick up the vast amount of plastic trash scattered about countryside and threw in rivers or ocean. I guess not doing that is their contribution to ecology of oceans.

[Usernames]

This is one instance that Thailand is number one in. They always want to be number one. Now they win.

I think they said China is #1???

Maybe they can build a plastic island and claim sovereignty over the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

[Basil B]

Maybe time Thailand passed a law stating all Loy Kathong offerings and Chinese lanterns should be 100% organic and degradable.

Edited November 7, 2015 by Basil B