Malaysia has ranked 3rd in the list of countries that are the main contributors to plastic pollution in the ocean.
Our country is the top 3 among 10 countries that have been dubbed the biggest contributors to the problem of plastic pollution in the ocean.
According to a report by The Thaiger, the pollution occurred is allegedly result of plastic waste being mismanaged by the countries on the list. An infographic of this was recently released by Louis Lugas Wicaksono, based on data from a 2021 research paper by Dutch academic Lourens JJ Meijer.
The graphic shows a pie chart consisting of sections of the amount of ocean plastic waste for each country, labeled based on the metric ton unit.
Out of the 10 countries shown, 9 are Asian countries that have mismanaged 75% of the plastic accumulated in the ocean. The only non-Asian country on the list is Brazil, coming in at 37,799 metric tons.
Here’s the full list:
- Philippines – 356,371 metric tons
- India – 126,513 metric tons
- Malaysia – 73,098 metric tons
- China – 70,707 metric tons
- Indonesia – 56,333 metric tons
- Myanmar – 40,000 metric tons
- Brazil – 37,799 metric tons
- Vietnam – 28,221 metric tons
- Bangladesh – 24,640 metric tons
- Thailand – 22,806 metric tons
* Rest of the world – 176,012 metric tons
Most of that plastic waste contributed comes from parks, beaches, or along drains that are under roads. These pieces of plastic are then carried into drains and rivers by the rapid flow of water.
The rivers then become the main route for the plastic waste to be taken to the ocean.
Apart from garbage, plastic waste can also come from fishing nets that are thrown into the sea.
What do you think about this? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
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