SHOCKER: RECYCLING PLASTIC

• Most of the plastic waste comes from just a few countries, mostly in Asia and Africa.

• 25% is “leakage” from Asian waste management processes — the rest is waste that has never been collected, but is simply thrown into rivers.

• But European countries ship inject huge quantities of waste into Asian waste management streams, ostensibly for recycling. As much as 20% — millions of tons every year — ends up in the oceans and will continue to do so.

• Since the Chinese banned waste imports at the start of the year, shipments have been diverted to other Asian countries with even weaker environmental controls (Figure 1).

• EU recycling is therefore a major contributor to marine waste and increasing recycling will therefore simply increase marine litter.

Oddly enough...I don't notice a whole lot of litter where I live. We tend to pick up after ourselves. I dunno where the trash goes after that. Possibly to a government approved facility. If there's a problem then it's a problem caused by government.

• the EU is trying to redouble recycling efforts and to close down the incineration route, mistakenly believing that this will reduce carbon emissions.

A shortage of bottled pollution means Brits face beer, coke, bacon shortage

What goes around...comes around.